Run From You
by doskoipanda
Summary: SasuNaru, many other pairings, strictly shounen-ai. In the shadow of an ominous threat, Sasuke and Naruto must understand and face what they fear most or lose what they hold most dear. First posted fanfic, please review. Rated for swearing and slight viol
1. Default Chapter

Thank you for reading. I don't want to scare you off, so I will begin yakking properly in the second chapter, should you choose to go on.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…I think having shinobi would be very useful…)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

Note: This fic is set 7 years after the Chuunin Exam

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 1: Friction

It was nearly lunchtime in the Hidden Village of the Leaf, and the sun was high above the outdoor pre-genin class. Several small stomachs had already voiced their approval of the hour, but their young owners listened to their green-eyed sensei's lecture with unwavering attention. She was an excellent instructor—gentle yet commanding—and a chuunin, but she was not officially a teacher yet. _That'll hopefully change starting today, she thought. Her class was being inspected and if she passed, she would become an official teacher at Konoha's ninja Academy._

As she began to delve into the finer points of chakra, she was interrupted by a wave of sound that grew increasingly louder and more heated. Gritting her teeth, she tried to continue, but there was no fighting it now. Incoherent yelling and arguing soon clarified as the source approached the outdoor classroom.

Sasuke and Naruto were back.

            "What the hell is that supposed to mean, damn you?!"

            "You'd think you'd know what dobe meant by now, dumbass—"

            "Oh, there we go, there goes that kiss-my-feet-I'm-Sasuke tone of voice—"

            "…this is the way my voice sounds all the time, dumbass—"

            "—oh right, I forgot, that's the way you sound all the goddamn time—"

            "—would you just shut up and stop sounding as stupid as you look—"

            "—why don't YOU shut up for once—"

            "—funny, as I recall, _you're the village's number one loudest ninja—"_

            "—I can't believe I survived this goddamn mission with you breathing down my neck—"

            "—I had a great time babysitting you too, Naruto. And I'm looking forward to the next time…and the next time after that—"

            "DON'T START WITH ME—"

            "—and the next time after that until you're too old to pass the jounin exam."

            There was a profound silence as the young man with fox-like slitted eyes sucked a deep breath into his lungs. His companion shook his head and shut his deep black eyes in resignation. And then—

            "WHENAREYOUGOINGTOSTOPGIVINGMECRAPABOUTTHETHRICEDAMNED

JOUNINEXAMASIFIDIDN'THAVEENOUGHTODEALWITHWITHOUTYOURSHITFOLLOWING

MEAROUNDFOREVERYGODDAMNMISSIONIHAVE—"

            "You should pass your test, then."

            "YOUHAVEN'TBEENANBUFORVERYLONGEITHERYOUHAVENORIGHTTOGIVE

MECRAPABOUTITYOURGODDAMNSUPERIORITYCOMPLEXMAKESMESICK—"

            Sasuke looked up and watched a familiar figure approach them.

            "—I'LLPASSTHETESTANDLEAVEYOUINTHEDUSTANDWHENIBECOMEHOKAGE—"

            Just what Naruto was planning for that day would never be known, as he was then set upon by an irate Sakura who was letting her inner side have dominance for the moment. Sasuke turned away as horrible cries and fearsome snapping noises assured him that Naruto would be very, very quiet for a little while.

            The black-haired shinobi was not in the clear, however. He quailed inwardly as a demonic-looking Sakura suddenly loomed in his vision. These days, Sakura had ceased to contain her inner self, and the results were not pretty most of the time. It _did gave him vindictive pleasure to see people that annoyed Sakura mauled and hung out to dry, but sometimes _he_ was on the receiving end of all that repressed anger, and he did not like that at all._

            "Sasuke-kun." 

His heart lifted. If she said his name quietly, it usually meant he was safe.

            "I realize that Naruto can be very trying," Sakura went on"…but could you sink to his level somewhere else?" 

            Sasuke raised an eyebrow, which was a mistake. Inner Sakura nearly bowled him over. "I'M TRYING TO HOLD A CLASS HERE, AND I'M BEING INSPECTED! TAKE THAT…THAT…" the hand that pointed at the nearly dead Naruto shook with rage. "…THA…HIM…AWAY! UNTIL THE CLASS IS OVER! MOVE!"

            Trying to look like he wasn't hurrying, Sasuke scooped up the prone golden-haired shinobi and promptly disappeared.

            Sakura huffed and stomped over to her class. Noting that some of the students were shaking, she counted to ten, submerged her inner self, and put a bright smile on her face. "Sorry about that, kids. Now, chakra flows from the center of the body…" As the children relaxed back into listening, she chanced a glance at her inspector. He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, a long scar visible over the clipboard he held before his face.

            _Thank goodness it's Iruka-sensei_, she thought ruefully as the noon bell tolled and the children got up with exclamations of joy. _At least he understands what I put up with. _But she couldn't help worrying.

* * * * * * * * * *

            Naruto settled himself against the wall of the jounin office hallway to wait and tentatively brought a hand to his face, wincing as he passed his fingers over his cheek. A bruise was forming, and it wasn't going to be a small one. He smiled, then cursed as a dull throb of pain shot through his face. Sakura was formidable when she was mad…actually, she was pretty formidable when not, as well.

            The thought filled him with pride. The cute little girl that had become his teammate seven years ago had grown so much, had become so strong in body and mind. And he, Uzumaki Naruto, had been a part of that. Though he hadn't an inkling of how much good or bad he'd done, he had been with her while she grew and changed…only two other people could claim to have seen as much as he had. Over the years, his childish crush on her had dissipated into platonic affection. She was as close to him as a sister, and he wasn't reluctant to admit that he felt as much love and pride for her as if he really was her brother.

            So he was extremely contrite when she emerged from the office. Feelings aside, he feared the fist of righteous Haruno rage.

            "Sakura-chan, I'm really sorry about disrupting your class, I wasn't watching….Sakura-chan?" Naruto's vibrantly blue eyes snapped open with worry as Sakura came to a halt before him, head bowed. "What is it?"

            His ears were nearly blasted off as she suddenly whooped and grabbed him in a fierce hug. "I did it, Naruto! I'm a sensei! Look, all the paperwork's stamped and done…I did it!"

            "Of course you did—" Naruto managed to choke. "Like there was any chance of you not getting it—"

            "Well, there was an extremely good chance, seeing as you made me lose my temper in front of the kids," Sakura's enthusiastic hug intensified exponentially. "…and I thought I could lose it, but Iruka-sensei was my inspector, he waved it off, ah Naruto, I did it! Wait'll I tell Lee-san!"

            Naruto fervently wished that she would not. The village would burn in the flames of Rock Lee's intense joy.

            "Where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura went on, looking around for the quiet Uchiha. "Mou…I thought he'd come to see the results!"

            "Like that bastard would do anything so thoughtful." Naruto's banter took on a bitter edge. Sakura sighed and released him so that she could look into his glowing sky blue eyes. "Did you two fight again?" she asked quietly.

            "When do we not fight?" Naruto's eyes immediately narrowed into trickster slits as he smiled. "Something'd be horribly wrong if we didn't."

            _Hiding again_, Sakura thought with an inner sigh. He always flashed that certain smile when he was upset.

But she smiled gently at him so as not to worry him. The childish disdain that she had once felt for him had melted away long ago, had given way to grudging and then unconditional affection. She loved the golden-haired ninja fiercely, like the elder sister he never had, and acted accordingly. Over the years they had spent together, she had watched him grow from a brat into a reliable young man, and the time had only strengthened her fondness for him and increased her desire to give him the love that only family could give. So she tried not to hurt him or worry him, unless like today, for example, his stupidity could not be ignored.

            But Sasuke-kun was not so careful.

            "So…mission was bad, huh?" Sakura asked carefully. 

Naruto put his hands behind his head in his classic nonchalant pose. "No, it was fine, had to escort a train of merchants into the Fire Country, but Sasuke and I…I mean, he was breathing down my neck the entire way and putting on his goddamn airs…ya know, 'Pay attention, dobe,' and 'Stop making so much noise, dobe,' and 'You suck, dobe,'…..ya know, I think he's forgotten my real name. Anyhow, it pissed me off, and when we got back into Konoha, he started up again, and I…kinda lost it. So…" he opened one eye and peered hopefully at her. "So that's why I was making so much noise…so I'm sorry…'bout disruptin' your class and all."

            She was about to forgive him graciously, but then he smiled a gigantic grin and said, "But it didn't make a difference that you went nuts anyway, I mean, you passed! Guess they don't care about your psycho-demonic-super-ugly-side long as you teach wel—"

            There were several ugly cracking noises and a dull thud, then silence. 

Iruka poked his head out of the jounin office, clearly annoyed at the scuffling that had disturbed him. His eyebrow twitched as he beheld an unconscious Naruto crumpled before the office door and an irate pink-haired ninja stalking down the hallway.

* * * * * * * * * * 

            "Mmmp…pffff…..okawari…." Naruto muttered, lost in a pleasant dream that involved a lot of free ramen. Iruka rolled his eyes and snapped his index finger against the tip of Naruto's nose.

            After screaming in pain, raging over the "childish prank", and some blinking, Naruto felt ready to join the coherent world again. "Where the hell am I?" he asked sourly.

            "The jounin office." Iruka settled down with a sigh to his desk again, where a formidable pile of contracts awaited his inspection. Naruto's eyes widened at the sight. "Geez…you're gonna get fat staying in here reading those things."

            "You could do it for me," Iruka said pleasantly, stamping one for rejection and throwing it into the outcast pile before drawing a small scroll towards him and opening it. He noted that Naruto's eyes clamped shut, hiding his eager nervousness. Iruka wished he had better news for him.  

"So," he began brightly. "I heard you did well."

            Naruto looked affronted. "Of course I did! I do everything well!" He leaned forward. "So?"

            "Behavior in check most of the time, treated the clients with courtesy and caution, even carried some of their wares for them….good marks from your clients…and…." Iruka scanned the rather frazzled scroll. "Full marks from _one_ of the ANBU accompanying you." He stressed the word "one".

            In the wake of the astonishing silence following, Iruka lifted his eyes from Naruto's scorecard and focused them back onto the young man's face. "You know, if you didn't scowl so much, you'd have a lot more luck with women," he said gently.

            It was indeed a black, ugly scowl that twisted Naruto's face. "Stupid asshole." He muttered. Iruka heaved a silent sigh and tossed the scorecard back onto the desk. "I can't imagine why you'd antagonize Uchiha when your test depends so much on passing the field trial—"

            Naruto was suddenly at the desk, reading the scroll. The look on his face grew even uglier as he scanned the parchment. "He failed me?!"

            The answer was obvious, so Iruka did not say it aloud. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in thought, then leaned forward to pick up another contract. "Well, it's obvious that your performance and behavior were fine…except towards Uchiha, I suppose…did you two fight again?"

            Hot anger swelled in Naruto's throat, choking him. The hand holding the scroll shook with suppressed rage. "He…failed me…_again_…" 

            "Yes," Iruka tried to sound as gentle as he could. "And I'm sorry Naruto, but unless I get a pass from both ANBU present on your field trial, I can't pass you for the jounin exam. You know that. So…I really think…that you should try to swallow your differences if only for the sake of the exa—"

            He was not surprised but he jumped anyway as the younger man slammed a fist down onto the desk. Contracts rained to the floor as the Naruto slowly raised his freshly-bruised hand.        "That….goddamn….ASSHOLE," he gritted out. Something hot and thick was bubbling deep inside his chest, a pool of molten feeling.

            "I'm sorry, Naruto," Iruka said again, quietly. "You've got to go through the system just like everyone else—"

            "Then get Sasu….get that ASSHOLE out of the system!" Naruto shouted. "He's the one screwing me over, he's the reason I've had to take two field trials, and now I have to take ANOTHER ONE—"

            "I'm not the one in control of that, Naruto." Iruka reminded him. "And I can't amend the jounin exam committee's decisions, I don't think anyone can."

            The air was hot with Naruto's rage, but…it had to be said. "And there's got to be a reason that Uchiha is marking you down," Iruka shut his eyes and firmly continued. "I know it's not anything to do with your abilities, but if you can't get along with your teammate, then you really can't pass the field trial. The most important thing, especially for jounin, is to be able to work together to accomplish nearly impossible tasks. If it takes failure for you to realize that, then that's the way it has to be. You have to get along with him, Naruto. If you want to pass the jounin exam, you've got to be able to swallow your pride for once."

            Iruka had said the last few lines of his tirade to himself. He knew that even before he opened his eyes. The last of the contracts fluttered off the desk as a playful breeze danced through the now-open window.

            The brown-haired jounin rose slowly and took his time gathering up the parchments littering the floor. When they were arranged in a neat stack on the desk, he walked heavily to the window, meaning to close it. Instead, he braced his hands on the sill and leaned upon them, staring out at nothing and letting his thoughts overtake him.

            _Kakashi…you've got to be wrong_.

* * * *

Thanks again for reading. Please review, as I am new at this and would really like constructive criticism about my writing.


	2. Chapter 2: Meditating

Thank you for reading. As promised, I will now chat a bit.

I have written silly fanfics for my good friends only, nothing like this. So while this is not technically my first fanfic, it still…is. And while my friends and I like the stuff that I have written before, it has only been criticized within our circle. So I would really, really appreciate some constructive criticism of my writing. If I deserve flames, then go right ahead. But please, no "you suck but sasu/naru rocks yeah!" kind of thing. That isn't really helpful.

I am actually not a shounen-ai fan, but I see something in this anime and especially in the relationships of certain characters that indicate to me that there can be real, true love, not "Ooh, let's pair Sasuke with Itachi because they're HOT!!" But everyone is entitled to write what they will; I am only throwing in my two cent's worth. 

Enough with my jabbering.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…what would YOU do with a village of shinobi?)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 2: Meditating

The Hidden Village of the Leaf glowed in the late afternoons. As the sun would sink below the great Wall of Hokage, it would light the rock from behind, giving it a deep gold luster that would bathe the village in warm, tinted light.

            It was thus impossible to make out small figures atop the rock wall, unless one wanted to go temporarily blind from the sun's fiery splendor. The last of the Uchiha clan knew that. That was why he was there, so he could be alone.

            Sasuke saw the top of the rock wall as a place a refuge. He practiced there, rested there, and in rare instances, took naps there. No one bothered him because no one wanted to make the climb up the rock face to get to the top.

            The black-haired jounin stretched luxuriously in the generous warmth. He loved the sunshine. He would never admit it, and one certainly couldn't tell with his white skin, but he loved to soak up as much golden warmth as he could get.

            It wasn't quite enough, but it felt almost powerful enough to permeate the frigid nature of his soul.

            A brief pang of something hot pulsed through his chest as he unwillingly remembered what he had done.

            _I am such a bastard._

            But he refused to dwell further on that, and turned his attention to a presence that had been steadily making its way towards him. There was probably only one person in the village ornery enough to intrude upon another's sacred place, even if that place was almost physically inaccessible.

            But then again, there were no inaccessible places for masters of chakra. Hatake Kakashi's half-covered face suddenly rose level with Sasuke's feet as he finished walking straight up the rock face. "Yo," he said by way of greeting.

            "Yo yourself." Sasuke eyed him briefly, then turned his gaze away. Kakashi was undaunted; he merely flipped himself over so that he could sit next to the younger jounin, pulling an adult novel out of his leg pouch in the same movement. A golden silence stretched between them as one man read and one man contemplated Konoha at sunset.

            "So, mission was successful, I heard." Kakashi did not move, did not lift his eyes from his book. 

            "Yeah." Sasuke's voice was as emotionless as ever. 

            "I heard you failed Naruto again."

            "Yeah."

            "Hmm….reason?"

            "Same as always. He's too obnoxious and loudmouthed to be a halfway decent shinobi. He's got the abilities, but he wouldn't be able to handle a real jounin mission. Plus, he aggravates me."

            "Well, I heard he didn't aggravate the other jounin, or the merchants, so I'm assuming that it's personal. And you know, you really shouldn't use personal feelings to judge this kind of stuff."

            "Take me off the field trial group, then." Sasuke shrugged. "It's not like I wanted to do it in the first place."

            "No…" Kakashi said thoughtfully, folding a page in his book and closing it. "No, you didn't."

            Silence stretched between them. Sasuke sighed quietly. Kakashi was something like a combination of elder brother and father to him, and yet he felt that he didn't understand a quarter of the things that the gray-haired jounin did.

"Why do you put me on Naruto's field trial if you know I don't want to judge it?" Sasuke asked softly. 

Kakashi did not answer. The sun had nearly sunk completely behind them; the village's radiant appearance was dulling rapidly. After a few more moments of silence, Sasuke rose and brushed off the back of his jacket, a silent dismissal.

            While he was doing this, Kakashi chose to speak. "The obvious answer is one that you already know."

            Sasuke snorted ungracefully. _Teamwork, he thought dryly. The word still held magic for the copy-ninja. "You want my approval for Naruto to become a jounin." _

            "Yes." Kakashi smiled at Sasuke underneath the face mask. "That's the obvious answer."

"Right." The Uchiha looked away, scoffing, but did not take off. He was waiting.

            Kakashi's uncovered eye opened and contemplated the young man standing next to him. "I put you on the trial team because I want you to stop fooling yourself." 

Sasuke stiffened and whipped his head around to stare at Kakashi's face. The right eye watched him serenely, but seriously.

After realizing what he was doing, Sasuke wrenched his gaze away. Kakashi's right eye closed as he smiled, and he rose, putting his book away and looking down at the village below.

            "I want you guys to be happy," he said gently.

            And before the words exploded in his head, before Sasuke could open his mouth to say something…anything…Kakashi said, "There's some leftover oden on the stove. I'm gonna be late, so go ahead and eat," and stepped straight off the cliff edge, plummeting down into the village.

* * * * * * * * * *

            The night was not so kind to Konoha. Soft black shadow dulled every building, darkened every street. The little baubles of light that were street lamps, house lights and the glows of late-night bars only made yellow dents in the sea of velvet black.

            Only the moon's luminescence could chase the shadow of night, melt its potency down and give scant visibility to the mortals below. There had been a full moon only three nights ago, so gentle white light rained down upon the village in still copious amounts, filtering down through the tree cover of the forest behind Konoha, lighting in the sunshine-colored hair of a solitary ninja sitting among the trees.

            Naruto lifted his face towards the moon and took in the quiet beauty without thought or sound. Only the soft whisperings of the trees around him dared to make comment about his silent conference with the great white orb of light.

            He knew that the great Nine-tails—the monster that resided inside him—loved the moonlight, so much so that the emotional barrier between man and beast would weaken and sometimes Naruto would be tempted to howl his adoration of the moon to the skies. But Naruto liked the moonlight as well. Ever since he was a small child, he had taken solace in the great celestial body that ruled the night sky.

            When he was younger, it was the only thing that had watched over him at night, laid its cold and gentle light over him like a blanket while he sat on a swing in the playground and cried for love lost.

            But now…now he could face the moon without crying. He knew what it meant to be loved now.

            He still liked to talk to the moon, though. It was like an old friend, someone that would listen to him, just listen, and never laugh at him, never give him unwanted advice, never criticize him in the harshest possible manner just when he'd thought he'd done something right—

            Naruto suddenly wanted to scream. He did not want his train of thought to run in that direction, any direction that reminded him of a certain ASSHOLE who only lived to screw him over and mock him to boot.

            But how could he avoid that if he was looking at the moon? A memory only three nights old began to play out in his mind…the last night of the full moon…

            _Sasuke carefully folded his bedroll and looked around at the seven people camped in the shadowed crevice of several large boulders. Six merchants and one jounin, all accounted for and sleeping well. One of the merchants smacked his lips and rolled over, drooling contentedly._

_            The black-haired shinobi turned away and vaulted up to the top of the rock formation, where Naruto was keeping watch. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Instead of constantly scanning the area below, or meditating to sense foreign chakra, Naruto was staring into the sky._

_            "Are you sleeping with your eyes open?" Sasuke asked quietly, but sternly. Without answering or shifting his gaze, Naruto lifted a hand and made a very rude finger gesture._

_            Sasuke snorted and flopped down next to the other ninja, who was wrapped in a blanket to ward off the chill of the night. "Your shift's over," he said curtly. "Go get some sleep."_

_            "I'm not sleepy." Naruto swiveled his head to look at Sasuke, blue eyes glowing as if some of the moon's radiance had been absorbed into them. "I can stay here all night."_

_            "That's not going to impress anyone." Sasuke said dismissively. "You don't get more points for doing extra guard duty."_

_            Such a comment would normally receive a classic Naruto scream of denial, but not this time. "I'm just not sleepy." Naruto turned away again. "You can do guard duty if you want, I'm just gonna stay up here."_

_            "Suit yourself."_

_            They stayed that way for a long time, Naruto staring at the moon, Sasuke scanning the territory around them._

_            "What's so interesting about the moon, anyway?" Sasuke asked suddenly. Naruto stirred slightly, then turned to look at him, a big smile on his face. "I like it. I've always liked it." He turned back to regard the great white sphere. "It's always there for me."_

_            Sasuke lifted his own eyes up to the heavens for a moment, then let his gaze drop. Trust Naruto to attach sentimentality to something as distant as the moon itself. "It's cold," he said softly._

_            "Huh?" Naruto turned to him again, lifting an eyebrow, then began to pull the blanket away from his shoulders. "Here…you can have thi—"_

_            "Not that, idiot." Sasuke closed his eyes, as if annoyed. "I mean the moon…it's cold."_

_            Naruto knew that his former teammate was not very good with words, but this was still too sparse for him to understand. "Huh?" he said again._

_            Sasuke was quiet for a moment. Then he began to speak softly, but rapidly. Naruto did not interrupt, as moments like these were rare for the Uchiha._

_            "The moon's light…" Sasuke faltered, then seeing that Naruto was actually going to listen, went on. "It's a generous light, and it's beautiful, but it doesn't have any warmth to it. Not like the sunlight. Sunlight warms you, not only physically, but deep in your soul, it makes you feel stronger and happier, it somehow fills the emptiness inside you. Moonlight is gentle, but so cold. It makes me……makes a person feel naked somehow," he amended at the end. _

_            He waited for the pealing laughter that would follow, that would grate on his ears and further freeze the feelings that lurked deep inside him, those feelings that no one bothered to understand. But the laughter did not come._

_            "D'ya know…" Naruto was looking at the moon again. "D'ya know…I know what you mean, but that's not how I feel at all. I've always felt that the moon watched over me…like when I was a kid…a really silent but…uh…." He struggled for the word. "Uh…er…someone who's always there, what's that word again?"_

_            "Omnipresent?"_

_            "Yeah, that one! An ommi-present protector!" Naruto said triumphantly. "And then sun…the sun is always obnoxious about itself and how powerful it thinks it is, with its heat and light. You can't talk to the sun like you would the moon, it wouldn't understand."_

_            "Talk to the sun?" A ghost of a smile was playing about Sasuke's lips. _

_            "Yeah!" Naruto's eyes crinkled up into slits, not to hide anything, but instead to make way for his enormous smile. "I talk to the moon all the time. Seriously, it listens, and it doesn't say jack to you. It's great."_

_            Sasuke laughed. It was rare to hear the Uchiha laugh, and Naruto beamed along with pleasure. And after the laughter died, there was only a contented silence and the moonlight's gentle glow._

_            Naruto was beginning to feel very sleepy, and he gave a great jaw-cracking yawn. Sasuke didn't seem to notice. The golden-haired shinobi began to snuggle down into his blanket and let the comforting falling sensation of sleep overtake him._

_            "You remind me of the sun."_

_            Naruto's eyes opened slowly and focused on the young man beside him, who was not looking at him. It was as if he'd spoken to himself. Naruto smiled a sleepy smile._

_            "You remind me of the moon," he said._

_            And the last thing he remembered before falling asleep was that Sasuke had turned to him, and he had beheld something like fear in the deep black eyes._

            "And then after that, he just started being an absolute ASSHOLE about EVERYTHING that I did." Naruto glared at the silver-tipped grass below him. "I mean, like, yeah, I made a few mistakes, but they were little ones! He didn't have to go and fail me AGAIN! It's not like I dropped a kid in the river like I did last time!" He huffed and crossed his arms. 

            The moon made no comment.

            "I don't know what his problem is." Naruto tried to wither the grass with the ferocity of his scowl, but for some reason, the scowl was melting away, to be replaced by a rather sad bewilderment. 

            "I don't understand him at all," he admitted quietly.

            "Understand who?"

            Naruto fell off the tree stump he'd been sitting on and jumped back up with a yelp. "I..Iruka-sensei!" he yelled accusingly he beheld the jounin's torso and head hanging out of a nearby tree. "You scared the shit out of me!"

            Iruka laughed and dropped neatly to the ground. "Thinking hard?" he asked pleasantly. "You're at a level where you should be able to sense me coming, you know. Well, then again, you were never really good at multi-tasking."

            Naruto muttered sullenly, knowing Iruka was right. The older man smiled. Though Naruto was now nineteen years old, he had not lost most of the traits of his youth, one being sulking.

            "Speaking of tasks, I bet you haven't made anything at home, huh?"

            Naruto jumped guiltily. Iruka laughed and came forward to pat him on the shoulder. "It's ok, you had a lot on your mind today." He turned his head towards the village. "I just got out, and we're both tired…let's eat out. I bet the cafeteria's still open—"

            The words he was about to utter lodged in his throat. Naruto had leaned forward to rest his head on Iruka's shoulder. They stood silently for a few moments, Iruka's hand frozen on Naruto's shoulder and Naruto just resting, trying to empty out the tangled web of feelings and events from his head. 

            "Can we please have ramen?" Naruto asked quietly.

            Iruka swallowed and resisted the urge to hug the young man. "Sure."

* * * * * * * *

Thanks for reading, please review!


	3. Chapter 3: Speculating

Oh. Eheh. Um…. ::hides under desk:: I brought this on my own head, I know, but I didn't think I'd get _happy_ reviews. Thank you very much, all of you. I really appreciate it, and I hope I don't disappoint you with the rest of my work. Though if I do, I can slap a sticker on it that says "First attempt" and laugh it off. Ah, the powers of a neophyte. 

Really, thank you. ^__^

As you might have guessed, I have the story pretty much written out, but I keep revamping and revamping…which brings me to this chapter. There are some parts here that I don't really like and if I were braver, I would remove them. But after looking at it many times, I felt that removing the parts that bothered me would ultimately do more harm than good, so I didn't do anything to it. Oh well. Let's see what y'all think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…I'd feel very safe with them around.)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 3: Speculating

Sakura waved as the last of her students ran off to their next class. Smiling, she absentmindedly flicked her hair off her shoulders and turned back to the classroom. There wasn't much to tidy, but the kids always managed to cause some disarray. 

            She fell to erasing the blackboard, noting the time. It was 2:50…she'd have to wait ten minutes before Lee finished coaching the kids' taijutsu classes, and since he would always show up wherever she was at 3:00 on the dot, she preferred to wait for him in her classroom. It wasn't that she was ashamed of him, but Lee had a habit of belting out songs of love and adoration whenever he saw her, and he had caught her at the grocery store just last week. The cashiers had not stopped tittering at her since.

            She'd have to teach him not to do that. Beat it into him, more like. But she couldn't help smiling. 

            Lee had come so far since the fateful Chuunin exam seven years ago, where he had sustained injuries that had nearly ended his life as a shinobi. The Fifth Hokage's surgical procedures had worked, but she had warned Lee that it would take years—at least four—for his physical prowess to return to him. But he'd proven her wrong; he had regained his form in one year. The next hurdle was his utter lack of jutsu capability; he failed the jounin exam three years in a row because of it. But with Sakura's help, (he had cracked and sought tutoring) he finally passed. Now, three years later, he was a taijutsu sensei at the Ninja Academy with 23 

A -rank missions to his name.

            And somewhere during all that time spent with him, Sakura had found it increasingly easier to disregard those eyebrows, easier to comfort and encourage him when he was down, easier to let him be his bumbling, passionate self. Somewhere in all that time, something tangled and complex had begun to grow in her, and had ensnared Rock Lee in its tendrils and branches.

            All she could do…all she wanted to do…was to grow with him.

            She had nearly finished erasing the blackboard when the door slid open and footsteps heralded a new arrival.

            "You're here early," Sakura said in some surprise, not turning around. "Hang on, I'm almost done." She finished, closed her eyes and turned, bracing herself for the torrent of hearts and the enthusiastic hug she would receive.

            It did not come. She held out her arms, and still nothing. Frowning, she opened her eyes and promptly squeaked in embarrassment. Sasuke was regarding her coolly, though he had one eyebrow raised. 

            "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's face burned. "I thought….sorry, I thought you were Lee-san…"

            "I figured." Sasuke sat on one of the desks. "You think he'd blow a gasket if I was here?"

            "Of course not." Some of Sakura's composure had returned, and she began to rearrange the desks into straighter lines. "He's not a jealous person."

            _He's too simple minded for that_, Sasuke thought. "By the way, congratulations on your teaching certificate." He tossed a small bundle of irises onto the counter beside the classroom vase. 

"Thank you," Sakura said warmly, but Sasuke had moved into a silent contemplation of the classroom floor.

            Sakura arranged the flowers nicely, then turned and looked directly at her former teammate, who did not notice but kept on musing in a totally different world.

            It was hard to say what Sakura was to Sasuke. Her love for him had not abated, but as the years went by, the nature of her love had changed. She had realized, though some of the explanation had come directly from him, that what he did not need was another irritating, mindless girl who fancied herself in love with him. 

            She had been heartbroken when she'd finally admitted it to herself, but she had healed, and she had indeed become Sasuke's special girl, but not in the way she'd imagined it. She was like a combination of elder sister and mother to him. He confided in her what he could not to Kakashi-sensei; Sakura figured that she filled the empty space that his real mother had once occupied. 

            She was fiercely proud of her role. There was no other woman in his life that he respected and cherished more, and to be able to take care of him the way she could was more than any Konoha girl could boast of. She loved him as much as she loved Naruto, and just as platonically.

            But this did not mean that he could get away with his behavior.

            "Sasuke-kun," she began quietly, trying not to let her inner self take control. "Why did you fail Naruto again?"

            The Uchiha did not answer, nor did he look at her, but he could feel the intensity of her stare boring into his skin, possibly passing through muscle and bone in an intense search for answers lost deep in his soul.

            "He did well. He received top marks from everyone, and that's hard to do. Everyone," she took a step closer to him. "Everyone except you."

            No response.

            "You know how much it means to him."

            Sasuke knew. Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage would become even more tangible when he ascended to jounin level.

            "And it's not passing the exam that matters. He wants your approval."

            His insides crashed together painfully, and his eyes suddenly met hers. She stopped, a tirade clearly on the tip of her tongue, and yet she knew that he wanted to….that he _needed to tell her something._

            The room was still. Outside, Lee's enthusiastic roars spurred the children on to greater efforts, but the sound was lost upon the two shinobi.

            "I can't give him that." Sasuke said slowly, deliberately. Desperately. "I can't."

            "Why not?" Sakura's voice was still tinged with anger. "It wouldn't hurt. He's worked so hard, and he values your opinion a lot, no matter how much he denies—"

            "No, Sakura, I can't. You have to….you have to understa—"

            "Why not?!" Sakura snapped. 

            "Because everything…would…come apart." Sasuke said lamely. 

            _Because I saw something in him. _

_            Because I'm afraid of it._

_            Because I'm afraid of myself._

            Sakura grabbed her hair in frustration and growled. "Sasuke-kun, to be frank, this thing you guys have going on between you is as stupid as it is so over-seven-years-ago, can't you give it a rest? Don't you get tired of hating each other?"

            "I don't hate him."

            The answer was so sudden and so full of suppressed emotion that Sakura stared. Sasuke looked startled himself, as if he hadn't meant to say it but it had burst out of him without consent. And he was apparently not finished. "I'm trying to…keep him away…I think…I don't even know…" he said slowly, unwillingly, finally locking eyes with Sakura and allowing her to see his state of mind through his gaze.

She saw confusion, and fear, and then her breath caught in her throat as she beheld something that was obvious and yet not, destined and yet not.

            Something so _right_…

            _Kami-sama…is it even possible? she thought dazedly._

            "Sasuke-kun…" she began helplessly, but was interrupted by Lee's booming, happy voice. "SAKURA-SAN! I HAVE PINED FOR YOU ALL DAY—ah!" The indefatigable Rock Lee noticed Rival No. 2 and instantly nodded his head with respect. "Sasuke-kun! It has been awhile!"

            Sasuke nodded back, all traces of the last few moments completely gone from his face. Sakura sighed inwardly, then smiled ruefully as Lee found out that the flowers were for his Sakura-san and nearly killed Sasuke with the exuberance of his gratitude.

            _Sasuke-kun…are you…?_

_* * * * * *_

            It was obvious that something had happened between Naruto and Sasuke. They did not speak to each other unless they had to, and when they did, mothers covered their children's ears.

But because Naruto still smiled and Sasuke was still moody, their antagonism was passed off as a completely normal event. After all, didn't those two fight all they time? It wasn't breaking news.

And after a few more days, Naruto and Sasuke were interacting civilly once more, and the inhabitants of Konoha rolled their eyes and got about their business. Naruto was as obnoxious as ever, Sasuke brooded, and all was right in the Hidden Village of the Leaf.

Except that Naruto was extremely defensive and touchy now, especially around Sasuke, and the Uchiha went out of his way to avoid the blonde shinobi when he could. But oh well, this change in their relationship hardly mattered to the majority of Konoha.

Sakura cared, though. And being the brilliant, intuitive and concerned kunoichi she was, she took her theories and thoughts to a friend that she liked and respected immensely, someone she could trust….

* * * * * * 

            But oh man, did Ino have a loud voice.

            "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Ino's voice nearly shattered the windowpanes of her family's flower shop. Sakura waved frantically for her to be quiet. "It's just a hunch," she hissed. "So don't go screaming it out."

            Ino sat back in her chair, completely flabbergasted. "I can't believe…or actually I can….no, never mind. I can't."

            Sakura sat back as well, picking up her tea cup and turning it around in her hands. She almost dropped it as Ino's face appeared right under her nose. "Are you SURE?" the blonde asked.

            "No." Sakura shut her eyes in annoyance. "It's just…what Sasuke-kun said…got me to thinking. And it somehow….works out."

            "But it's a shame," Ino mourned, reaching out to pour more tea. "I'm a lot more beautiful than Naruto."

            Sakura gave her a look that would have frozen the tea, but Ino giggled. "Girl, you're so easy to tease." She filled both cups but did not drink out of hers, choosing to stare at it instead. "No…it makes sense," she mused. "In fact it seems….right."

            Sakura looked at her friend sharply. Ino had chosen the same word that she had….the word "right".

            So what exactly was bothering Sasuke-kun?

            Ino stopped staring at her tea and looked up at Sakura. "So why are you telling me?" she asked. "You want me to go play matchmaker?"

            "NO!" It was Sakura's turn to rattle the windowpanes now. "And don't you DARE go blabbing about it. I told you, it's just a hunch, I may be wrong."

            "What, the great Haruno Sakura, wrong? May lightning strike me dead." Ino winked at her. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul."

            Sakura smiled. Though they still had their squabbles, she and Ino were growing closer and closer as the years went by.

            "I told you because I can't figure out why it's a problem for him." Sakura slumped over and put her hand over her tea cup. Steam fogged under and around her fingers.

            "Well, that's obvious." Ino leaned back with her own tea. "They're both men."

            Sakura frowned. "I don't think it's as simple as tha—"

            "Oi."

            Both women whipped their heads around to view the newcomer, then let their mouths fall open. "Shika!" Ino jumped up and rushed over to the shadow ninja, who was wearing his usual look of pained annoyance and about fourteen assorted packages on his back. "What's all this…why are you…did you go to get the shipment by yourself?! You brought EVERYTHING AT ONCE???"

            "Well, you were busy here." Shikamaru answered in a bored tone, though almost bent double from the load of small urns and large stone tablets. "Where do you want this stuff?"

            "I'm not going to pay you extra for getting here fast, you know!" Ino snapped angrily at him as she removed packages and placed them anywhere she could. Sakura had to rescue the tea cups and kettle from being crushed under a marble slab. "Seriously, how could you be so stupid?! These blocks weigh ten pounds each!"

            Shikamaru shrugged and flexed his shoulders. "I didn't want you to have to carry them."

            Ino blinked. A flush suddenly made its way across Shikamaru's face. "Uh…I mean…it'd be troublesome to make three trips, you know, one to come get you, one for us to go back, one for us to carry it all here…" His eyes traveled around the shop as if trying to escape and rested briefly on Sakura, who nodded and smiled at him. He nodded back and without looking at Ino, stepped out of the shop. "So uh…I'll be here at ten tomorrow."

            "Ok…don't be late…" Ino's voice was oddly quiet. Sakura waited until her friend had reseated herself before giving her a Naruto-ish grin. "What was that?"

            Ino's baby blue eyes snapped dangerously quickly back onto Sakura's green ones. "What was WHAT?!" she demanded. "I have no idea! I don't understand him at all! Mou…he's really smart and yet so dumb…" She began to gather up the items she had haphazardly placed everywhere, muttering about how stupid men were and if he had dropped the load it would have cost her a fortune and how could he be so brilliant and so stupid at the same time…Sakura could not smother her smile as she put the tea items back on the table.

            But as she remembered what had brought her here, the smile faded. Her intuitiveness told her that things could not be so simple, so natural, for Sasuke and Naruto. Whatever happened between them would not include the things that made her smile, things like Shikamaru embarrassed to be caught doing a favor for Ino.

            Whatever happened between Sasuke and Naruto would be explosive and powerful, because that was the kind of people they were, and it would either break them or weld them together. Of that much, she was sure.

            Sakura rolled her eyes as a shattering crash broke through her thoughts, followed by Ino's screams of outrage. As she rose to help her friend, she happened to glance out the windows of the shop and suddenly made an exclamation of surprise. Hyuuga Hinata was walking down the street, escorted by several Sand Village ninja. 

            "Hyuuga-san!" Sakura called, waving her hand. The timid young woman turned, a smile transforming her face. "Haruno-san!" she said delightedly. She spoke briefly to the group around her, all of whom nodded and continued down the street save one who walked with her into the shop. Sakura's smile became very, very fixed as she recognized Gaara. 

            Ino, who had been cursing at Sakura for inviting people in when the shop was in such a state, masterfully changed her attitude and tone of voice as the little bell over the door rang. "Irashaima—SE!!!!" she squeaked as she turned and also recognized the infamous Sand shinobi. 

There was a terse silence, then Hinata's small, unsure voice piped up. "A…ano…it's a pleasure to see you two again. It's been a while."

            "Seriously, it's been weeks!" Ino mastered her voice tone, and her sociable nature took charge. "Come on, sit down, I'll get more cups…oh the tea's cold, hang on just a second!"

            Ino disappeared into the back room, leaving Sakura with Hinata and Gaara. None of them said a word; Hinata began to rub her index fingers together, a sure sign that she was nervous. Sakura, on the other hand, stared openly at Gaara, who returned her stare with cool eyes. Though immensely respectful of the Sand shinobi, she had never quite forgiven him for hurting Lee so badly, and the knowledge that he had once tried to start a war in Konoha made her extremely wary of him. Not to mention he had also tried to kill her once.

            Gaara's gaze suddenly broke from Sakura's to look out the windows into the street. "Where is Uzumaki?" he asked. Hinata's shoulders perked up, and she looked up at Sakura with an eager expression.

            "He's off by himself behind the school, probably in the woods. Training." Sakura did not mention that Naruto had failed his second jounin field trial test. It would only depress Hinata, and she never really liked telling Gaara anything. She picked up her cold tea and took a sip.

            "Is he well?" Hinata asked. Sakura turned to her with a smile. "He's the same as always." 

            _Or maybe not, she thought as she remembered the brief but poignant hurt she had seen in his eyes not so long ago._

            Gaara's monotone voice interrupted her thoughts. "Where is Uchiha?" he inquired. 

            "I think he's at the jounin academy." Sakura answered. "That's where he usually is at this time."

            The red-haired sand ninja rose; Sakura instantly jumped to her feet. The black-rimmed eyes narrowed in a sinister smile as Gaara held up a hand. "Don't worry. I just need to deliver a message to him. That's all." He turned to look down at Hinata. "You will be safe here. I shall meet you at the village gate in twenty minutes."

            Hinata nodded and smiled at him. He did not smile back, but rested his hand briefly on her shoulder before stepping out of the shop.

            Sakura watched him go with a frown on her face, wondering if she ought to follow him, but her train of thought was stopped by Hinata's small voice. "Ano…" she pleaded softly but earnestly. "Please…please trust in him. I know he's done horrible things…but he's…he's changed so much…just give him a chance."

            Inner Sakura grumbled with a thousand misgivings, but Sakura gave Hinata a gentle smile. "I know. He's with you after all."

            The pale-eyed woman blushed and smiled, rubbing her fingers together again in embarrassment. She was undergoing training to be a Konoha delegate, and she had been assigned to communications with the Sand Country, a measure taken to re-establish trust after the attempted war. Consequently, she and Gaara had forged a close relationship, which had not surprised Sakura. Though Hinata was fond of Naruto, and had wanted to ease the pain of his early life, she had found a similar hurt in Gaara that needed her attention more than Naruto's did. And in trying to heal Gaara's pain, she had realized who she had been destined for.

            But Hinata still loved Naruto dearly. And she knew him quite well, though she had little communication with him. And she knew. It was the reason it was not so hard to give him up.

She leaned forward. "Ano…truthfully…is Naruto-kun all right?"

Sakura glanced at her, then closed her eyes and sighed. "Not really."

"Is it about Uchiha-kun?"

Sakura's pale green eyes dilated with shock as she froze, her tea halfway to her mouth. "H-h-how do you—"

"I've known that for a long time." Hinata said gently, smiling to herself. "I don't think even Naruto-kun realizes it."

"Realizes what?" Sakura put her cup down and clasped her hands around it. 

"That Uchiha-kun is important to him." Hinata's pale eyes met Sakura's vibrant ones. "That he probably cares for him above all others."

"You mean," Sakura's fingers loosened on the cup. "You mean that Naruto doesn't realize that he has feelings for Sasuke-kun?"

"Well, that's the way I see it." Hinata smiled. "Naruto-kun can be a bit blind to this kind of thing. And he's good at denying things, especially to himself—"

There was a clatter, then Ino emerged triumphantly with cups, a kettle of hot tea and rice crackers. "I couldn't find any snacks!" she complained as she sat down. "My mom must've gotten to them. I had to break into my own private stash."

As Hinata immediately began apologizing, Sakura took the opportunity to lose herself in thought. _Is that what's bothering Sasuke-kun_? she wondered. _Is it because he doesn't know what Naruto thinks?_

No. There had been confusion in Sasuke's eyes. As if Sasuke himself didn't know what was going on. 

What was he thinking? What were they both thinking?

Sakura stole a glance over at Hinata, who was tentatively nibbling at a rice cracker. _Hinata feels sure about Naruto, but….is it really that? Or is it something simpler, like he just wants Sasuke's acknowledgement? Maybe I should ask._

_…………………_

She shook her head_. No. I won't do anything. I shouldn't. This is something they have to work out themselves. _But even as she resolved this and Inner Sakura reluctantly seconded it, she couldn't help feeling a little prickle of trepidation, because…

Naruto and Sasuke were both so powerful…they both had the power to break each other beyond repair.

_ What's going to happen to them? _she wondered.

* * * * * * * 

So there it is. This is the only chapter that I have misgivings about, though. I'm pretty happy with the way the rest of the story is going.

Thanks for reading, please review!


	4. Chapter 4: Foreboding

Finally the plot thickens a wee bit. I know this is all going slowly, sorry if it bothers you. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…like I always lose my keys…I could get Kakashi to summon his dogs to find my keys and all would be well…)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 4: Foreboding

Sasuke twirled a shuriken on his finger, contemplating the weapon-studded target before him. He had missed three times, extremely unusual for him.

            In one fluid motion, he whirled and hurled his weapon at the door. Gaara caught the shuriken on his finger, lounging nonchalantly against the doorframe.

            "I was here for five seconds." Gaara flipped the throwing blade back at Sasuke and slouched into the room. "You must be off today."

            "Something like that." Sasuke grunted as he sheathed the shuriken and waited for Gaara to come up to him. "What are you doing in Konoha?"

            "Escorting the delegates." Gaara came to a halt. "But we also had to deliver a message to your jounin."

            Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I don't work in the office, I'm ANBU."

            "This message pertains to you especially." Gaara smiled one of his rare, rather sinister smiles. "So I thought I'd give it to you personally."

            Bemused, Sasuke nodded. Gaara handed him a small scroll. "We found two of Orochimaru's men." The sand ninja motioned for Sasuke to open the scroll. "We took care of one, but the other escaped."

            Sasuke's fingers wrinkled the parchment as his hand tightened. Though Orochimaru had been taken care of last year, his disbanded followers still roamed the land, trying to carry out his last wishes. There were warrants out for them in every country, so it was not easy for them to hide, but they were extremely dangerous individuals, so they were not easy to capture.

            "The one that escaped is powerful, but his mind snapped after Orochimaru was killed. He may or may not be a threat." Gaara continued. "He's headed this way."

            Sasuke nodded. There were plenty of jounin here; now that they were properly warned, they would be able to take care of one rogue shinobi. **Unjou Kogaku**, he read. **Age: 39. Weight: 130 lbs. Height: 162 cm. Abilities: Unknown**. **Origin: Sound Country**. "I never saw this one," he muttered, addressing Gaara without looking at him. "Do you know his patterns, techniques?" 

            "No." Gaara's eyes narrowed. "His partner did all the attacking when we encountered them. We were not able to see his jutsu."

            "Pity." Sasuke rolled up the parchment. Then, seeing as Gaara did not say anything nor make a move to leave, he raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Gaara was smiling slightly. 

            "That's the end of the official report," he told Sasuke. "But there's something else that I thought you'd be interested in."

            "Really?" The Uchiha walked up to the target he'd been practicing on and began to remove the weapons imbedded in it. "Like what?"

            "He's after Uzumaki."

            Gaara's smile widened only slightly as he watched Sasuke's shoulders tense. "How do you know that?" Sasuke asked softly.

            "By what his partner said." Gaara turned away and began to walk to the door. "She yelled at him to continue on to Konoha, to find Uzumaki, and then died before saying why."

            Sasuke did not say anything, and Gaara did not turn around again. But the Sand ninja did pause before stepping over the threshold. "Whatever they want from him, it can't be good for either of you," he said over his shoulder. "It's Orochimaru, after all."

            After Gaara left, Sasuke simply stared at the target before him, the straw doll that vaguely resembled a man. His eyes focused on the doll's left shoulder, just below the neck.

            His eyes suddenly glowed with the fire of the Sharingan. _I will not let you touch us anymore, Orochimaru_, he vowed. _You are dead, and you will stay that way._

            The last member of the Uchiha clan turned and proudly stalked from the room, clutching a cold hand to the left side of his neck.

* * * * * * * * 

Iruka dumped his bag onto the floor, turned swiftly and locked the door to the apartment. After a moment's thought, he threw the bolt as well. He usually did not lock his door and the act felt alien to him, but whatever protection he could offer to Naruto, he would. 

He moved through the living room to the kitchen and dining area, intending to lock the window as well. He was so jumpy that when Naruto addressed him, he leapt two feet and instantly pulled out some kunai from his leg pouch.

"Hey Iruka-sensei…" Naruto's eyes squinted up as he tried to puzzle out what demons disturbed his sensei now, then gave up and turned back to the steaming pan in front of him. "Curry ok?"

"Yes….great…" Iruka said weakly, cursing inwardly. He had been so determined to act normal so that Naruto would not begin to guess what was bothering him, but so much for that. Well, Naruto was always slow on the uptake, so hopefully he wouldn't notice.

Iruka continued to the window and put his hand to the bolt.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Naruto said distractedly, reaching for some salt. "Kakashi-sensei won't be able to get in."

"Oh, you're right." Iruka laughed as he turned away from the window. Then he stiffened and said in a much altered voice "I mea—what? Why would Kakashi try to get in?"

"To see you, of course." Naruto's brows knit together as he stirred his concoction.

"Wh…why would you think he'd want to come here if he wanted to see me?" Iruka tried to laugh but failed miserably.

There was a great hiss and Naruto cursed. Then he smiled in relief and took the pan off the stove. "Well, he's been coming in for the past three months, right? If you lock the window—"

"HOW ON EARTH DO YOU KNOW THAT?????" Iruka screamed, pointing at Naruto. The blonde ninja sighed. "Iruka-sensei, I'm not blind, ya know? And you really should be more open about it, you've been together for a year now—"

"HOW ON EARTH DO YOU KNOW **THAT**?????" Iruka's face was dead white, making the scar over his nose much more prominent. Naruto sighed again as he poured the curry over some leftover rice. "To tell the truth, I think the whole village knows," he said unfeelingly.

There was a loud thump behind him. Naruto figured that his sensei had fainted, but he was wrong; Iruka had sunk into a chair and was staring straight ahead at nothing.

"Kami-sama." The older man breathed. Naruto grinned as he opened the top of a cup ramen and began to pour hot water into it. "You can just call me Naruto, you know," he said lightly.

When Iruka didn't respond, Naruto rolled his eyes. "Iruka-sensei, get over it. If you act as if it's a bad thing, **I'M **gonna think it's a bad thing, ya know."

"Do you, though?" Naruto opened his eyes a crack to behold his teacher staring almost pleadingly at him. "Because I…we can—"

Naruto snorted. "If I really didn't like it, I would have told you a year ago." He brought his ramen and Iruka's dinner over to the table and sat down. "Itadakimasu."

Iruka repeated the phrase automatically, but didn't eat. He had been so sure that he had been treading carefully around Naruto…and Naruto wasn't the most perceptive person—

"Are you ashamed of him?"

Brown eyes met blue. "What?" Iruka asked, though he'd heard the question.

"Are you ashamed of him?" Naruto was pointing his chopsticks at Iruka as if accusing him. "And don't give me bullshit," he added as an afterthought.

Steam rose off the forgotten food as silence filled the room. Iruka's gaze had dropped to his curry after Naruto's question, but now he raised his eyes and locked them on Naruto's face, as if assuring the blonde shinobi that every word he spoke was true.

"It would be a lie to say that I'm perfectly comfortable with it." There was an almost abashed tone in Iruka's voice, yet his gaze didn't waver. "But it's nothing compared to how I feel about Kakashi…how much I care about him." His voice grew stronger. "And even if the entire village laughed at me, I wouldn't give him up. I wouldn't be able to." Naruto noticed that Iruka's fists clenched. "But it's different with you, Naruto. You're with me now…and the last thing I want is for you to be jeered at or hurt because of my wants and needs." Naruto's eyes widened, while Iruka's closed. "No. I'm not ashamed of him. But if it bothers yo—"

"I said don't bullshit me!" Naruto slammed his chopsticks on the table. "I said that if I didn't like it, I would have told you! I mean, why do you always have to have my goddamn approval? You're human too!"

A half-smile tugged at the corners of Iruka's mouth. "I'm sorry, Naruto," he said quietly. "I should have trusted you."

"Damn straight." Naruto's eyes closed as he dug into his ramen in a huff. Iruka smiled, then picked up his own chopsticks and began to work on his fish-cake curry. Naruto could cook, but he was adamant about using ramen ingredients in non-ramen foods. It was just something that Iruka had to deal with.

Naruto finished long before Iruka, but he didn't clear his place right away as usual. Instead, he folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them, musing in a very un-Naruto-like way. A wave of worry and fear suddenly made the food in Iruka's mouth turn to ashes as he remembered the warning from the Sand Country. 

Why were people always after Naruto? Couldn't they leave well enough alone? Was the fact that he shared the power of a demon fox enough to mark him for the rest of his days? Would he never know what it meant to be perfectly ordinary—

"Ano sa, Iruka-sensei." Naruto's voice broke through Iruka's panicked fretting. Despite the ball of worry lodged in his throat, he managed to swallow his current mouthful and answer coherently. "Yes?" 

"What does it feel like to be in love?" 

The unexpected question made the ball drop into Iruka's stomach. He set his chopsticks down and took a long drink of water before answering.

"It's like….for me, it's like I have a new body. A fresh body that feels softer, so that everything in my life feels sharper and newer to me. All the good stuff, all the pain, it's amplified. I think it's because…it's like my heart got bigger because it became one with his. With Kakashi's, I mean." He added, as if it wasn't obvious.

"Kakashi doesn't have a heart." Naruto mused, thinking of his former teacher's One Thousand Years of Pain jutsu.

"Hey—" Iruka began hotly. The younger man smiled. "But if he takes yours…it's certainly big enough for two."

The jounin blushed, but the color faded rapidly from his face as he watched Naruto's eyes glaze over, watched him sink back into a reverie that looked troubled and turbulent.

"You know," Iruka looked down at his almost-empty plate. "Kakashi waited a long time to tell me how he felt. I wish he hadn't." He stole a glance at Naruto. "If you want to tell someone how you feel, I don't think you should hold back."

There was no response, which was surprising enough, but when Iruka lifted his head to look at his student, he was unprepared for the face that greeted him, a face completely devoid of expression save an intense alarm glowing in the blue depths of Naruto's eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Naruto said in a much-too-controlled voice.

Iruka was only stunned for a moment. Then he sighed inwardly. _So it's true, then, Kakashi._

Taking advantage of the silence, Naruto pushed himself up roughly and moved to the window. "I'll be outside," he said over his shoulder as he slid the glass back and leaped out into the night.

Iruka came back to reality in a hurry and jumped up to drag him back, but was blocked by Kakashi's body, perched on the sill. He and Naruto must have passed each other in the air.

"It's ok," the silver-haired jounin assured the nearly panic-stricken Iruka. "Sasuke's down there." He hopped down from the window and brushed himself off, expecting an explosion of some sort from Iruka. After hearing nothing, he looked up.

Iruka had turned away and was staring at Naruto's empty ramen cup. Kakashi watched him for a minute, then stepped close to him and enfolded him in his arms from behind. "What?" he asked.

"You were right." Iruka closed his eyes and brought his hand up to grip one of Kakashi's. "You were right about Naruto."

"I tend to be with this kind of thing." Kakashi's grip tightened, became more possessive. "Does it bother you?"

"That's not it." Iruka sighed. "I think he's in pain about it. That hurts me." His hand left Kakashi's and rose higher, stretching up to the covered face.

"I thought it would be simpler between them." Kakashi paused and instinctively closed his eyes as Iruka's fingers hooked over the top of his face mask and dragged it down to his neck. "But Sasuke's making this hard for himself.  Hard for Naruto, too." He breathed out a small sigh. "Or, I might have been wrong in his case."

Iruka's hand trailed slowly down Kakashi's face, then dropped back down. "I hope you're not," he whispered. Kakashi didn't answer, didn't reassure him, but simply pressed his cheek against Iruka's, cradling the brown-haired jounin in his embrace and letting him lean against his chest.

_What will it take for Sasuke and Naruto to know this joy_, Iruka thought sadly. Could the maze of walls and barriers between them be broken? Or were they doomed to fall off the thin bridge between love and hate, and never find their way back?

* * * * * * * *

            When Naruto's feet touched the ground, a shadow darted forward. Naruto's hand automatically flashed to his leg pouch, but he relaxed as he recognized the chakra.

            Sasuke didn't leave the cover of the tree he stood under, but the moon's light filtering through the leaves dappled him with bits of white. His eyes were glowing red.

            "What's with the Sharingan?" Naruto asked. "Can't see in the dark?"

            "I'm practicing." Sasuke answered coolly. It was something he'd do, so Naruto didn't ask further. But Sasuke _was trying to see as well as he could in the dark. Not all abilities were visible, and a skilled shinobi would be able to do a lot under the cover of night._

            "Hmph." Naruto's eyes squinted up. "Go practice somewhere else."

            "No thanks."

            "Fine. Asshole." Naruto vaulted up into the tree and began to head for the forest, spring-boarding off other trees to reach a thicker canopy. He could hear Sasuke not too far behind him. _All right, he thought. __I can deal with you. _

Like the flirtatious frolicking of the wind, Naruto led Sasuke on a merry dance through Konoha's abundant foliage, jumping lightly from tree to tree without much effort. He enjoyed doing this. It made him feel like a creature of the forest, wild and free. And somewhere deep inside him, he knew of another being that enjoyed the sensation of roaming through the deep night just for the hell of it.

            After ten minutes of mindless jumping, though, Naruto's feeling of freedom was giving way to utter annoyance. He scowled in anger and dove to the ground. Sasuke followed him down and leaned casually against a tree trunk, standing just out of reach, Sharingan still glowing hotly.

            "Why the hell are you following me around!?" Naruto's temper reached breaking point. Sasuke shrugged, knowing it would further irritate the blonde shinobi. "I'm bored." He said.

            "You just get sick pleasure out of messing with me." Naruto sneered. "Get lost."

            Sasuke said nothing. Naruto glared at him for a few more seconds, then flopped into a cross-legged position on the forest floor. "Stuck-up bastard." He shot at Sasuke.

            "Usura tonkachi."

            Naruto's organs roiled in anger, but for lack of a better comeback, he stuck out his tongue at the quiet Uchiha.

            A smile suddenly flashed across Sasuke's face. It startled Naruto so much that all his anger dissipated instantly. "What?" he asked.

            Sasuke had instantly tried to drop the smile, but the corners of his mouth kept twitching threateningly. "What? Is there something on my face?" Naruto had risen to his feet. The black-haired shinobi shook his head, still trying to contain his grin. "You're so…" he muttered.

            "I'm so…what?" Naruto asked defensively. 

            "Childish."

            But the word had come out softly, almost affectionately. As if Sasuke liked Naruto this way, as if it was his fond delight that Naruto had not lost the immature if not enthusiastic spitfire he was known for in his youth.

            It was moments like these that Naruto both cherished and despised, the moments where Sasuke would lose his disdainful exterior and show him emotion other than scorn and anger. Things like laughter. Happiness. 

            And something that felt far too good to be true.

            The silence between them now felt too much like that warm silence they'd shared so many nights ago under a glorious moon. Naruto hated it. Loved it. And was so deeply, deeply afraid of it.

            "What am I to you, Sasuke?" Naruto asked softly. 

            The Uchiha tensed, all mirth gone from his face. "What?"

            "What am I to you?" Naruto repeated, locking his vividly blue eyes with Sasuke's black ones and holding them for a long moment. Blue sky meeting deep midnight. Aside from the gentle chuckling of a nearby river, there was no sound between them. 

            And when Sasuke didn't answer, Naruto let his eyes close. "Just get lost," he said curtly. "I can't deal with your crap."

            Naruto leaped back into the trees and began traveling back towards his home. This time, Sasuke did not follow, for the heavy weight of fear was spreading through his chest once more, had extended its force through his limbs and anchored him to the ground.

            He had to stop this. For both of them.

* * * * * * * 

            "So that's it," a thin, sickly voice rasped. The speaker watched the young man with glowing red eyes take to the canopy before emerging from the river he was submerged in. The water flowing around his body camouflaged his chakra to a point, so his target would not have noticed him if he attacked with the proper speed. He had been ready, his nerves finely turned to the young man carrying the great Nine-tails, he was about to lash out from the water with the speed of a cobra's strike.

            But when the Uchiha had arrived, he could do nothing. He had heard the tales of the young man's prowess, and he knew better than to attack directly. It was his business to know such things because he was a master of stealth and covert assassinations.

            He was a wisp of a man, thin and pale, limbs trembling. The protector across his forehead seemed too large for its purpose, his bloodshot eyes glowed pink as his nose twitched in a rodent-like fashion. 

            And he was mad. Strings of slobber fell constantly from his lips, and he uttered small, nervous laughs at random moments. He tottered as the chakra prepared for attacking left him, too weak and hungry to stand properly. He hadn't eaten in days.

            He, Unjou Kogaku, was the last stronghold of the Village of Sound, or so he constantly reassured himself. It was up to him to carry out Orochimaru-sama's plans. Never mind that he was sick, he was a brilliant man. Orochimaru-sama had said it himself many a time, that Kogaku was vital to his back-up plan if something was to go wrong.

            Tears rose in Kogaku's eyes. His leader…his mentor had much confidence in him. And now he was dead. Dead!

            Kogaku knew that he had fallen into madness when the news of Orochimaru's death had come to him, but he had nursed himself back to complete health. Yes, he was fine! And when the Village of Sound had met for the last time to carry out Orochimaru-sama's back-up plan, he had told himself to be strong, for his leader's sake. He absolutely had to carry out the mission, especially now that his companion had fallen to the Sand shinobi on their way to Konoha.

            Kogaku didn't care very much about that. True, the woman with him would have helped because he was so physically weak, but everyone knew that his jutsu was unstoppable. He didn't need anyone, probably even Orochimaru-sama had been slightly afraid of his power. His cracked, dry lips spread out as he grinned and savored this colorful fantasy. Yes, even the great Orochimaru-sama had respected Unjou Kogaku!

            Suddenly, the great Kogaku whirled and plunged back into the river, dragging his hands alongside the banks and clawing at the soft mud. He let out a cry of delight and raised his fist high, a small frog clenched in his grip.

            Dinner.

            And as he bit into the slimy, wriggling flesh, he pondered what he'd seen tonight. He knew that his target, Uzumaki, was the Uchiha's companion, but their comradeship seemed to go beyond that. Did Orochimaru-sama know of this?

            Well, it didn't matter much as far as the plan went. Kogaku swallowed and dropped the bones of the hapless amphibian into the water. If he was right, he might be able to manipulate Uchiha into compliance instead of…

            No. Why should he? Uchiha was afraid of him too, just like everyone else was. Just like everyone else! Kogaku could handle him! And once he had, he could finish the mission alone and watch the others writhe in jealousy and deference to him. Ragged laughter escaped from his throat as he basked in his future glory. He would complete his plan regarding Uzumaki, and he would deal with Uchiha alone, unaided, glorious.

            Kogaku stood absolutely still, the water flowing around him enveloping him in a cushion of cold support. He sighed happily, then began to cast about again.

            If there was one frog, there must be more.

* * * * * * *

Hm. Things are getting interesting. Or are they? Maybe I am just hoping. ^__^

Thanks for reading, please review!


	5. Chapter 5: Resolve

I fixed the typo pointed out in the last chapter, thank you for seeing it. 

I have been brought to realize (through the reviews, thank you) that I spend a lot of time in the character's heads. I am sorry to those of you that don't like such things. If I attempt another fic, I will do a better job of restraining myself. I guess it's because I have always appreciated characterization (if executed well) and I must have unconsciously wanted to try my hand at it.

Having said that, I looked at the next two chapters and laughed. Then cried. I did it again. But I don't think that these chapters are unnecessary, so I must ask you to bear with me. To satiate those that want this story to get a move on, I will add update one chapter more than I meant to, one that definitely gets the ball rolling. 

Thanks again for all your reviews, I really appreciate them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…I'd have Iruka teach me how to use my chakra, and then I'd come up with a jutsu. What would it be?)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 5: Resolve

Sasuke determined that things were now getting out of hand. His behavior was absolutely ridiculous. Not unfounded, because someone did have to keep an eye on Naruto, but he was actually watching over the fool of his own free will. 

Initially, he had called it arrogance. No one could do a better job than he could. But he knew that wasn't true; there were others that would give their souls to keep that dobe out of harm's way, and they were no less skilled than he was. Even if they were, their feelings about that idiot made up for it…

Well, it wasn't like he wouldn't feel the same—

There. Again with the weird behavior, again with the strange thoughts. This just had to stop. 

Well…perhaps it wasn't so strange to feel a bit protective, because Naruto _did_ mean a lot to him when he really thought about it. 

He often wondered when that had come about. Perhaps it was when Shikamaru's team had brought him back to Konoha, when Naruto had turned to him and said so roughly, so obnoxiously "We're home, asshole. This is where you belong. Now go apologize to Sakura-chan."

Or perhaps it went back further than that, back to the training together, fighting with each other, stealing each other's personal belongings (who knew that Naruto collected that much manga?), all that time spent together in their teens.

Or maybe it had happened recently, after Sasuke had become ANBU and Team 7 was disbanded, only a year ago. Perhaps the shock of losing the daily presence of the loud, annoying usura tonkachi made him realize how necessary Naruto was in his everyday life, how vital it was that Naruto tell him, for instance, what he'd had for breakfast every single goddamn day and what he had planned for lunch to boot. Which was of course ramen and ramen with extra noodles.

It didn't even matter when, actually. What mattered was that Naruto had crawled into his heart somehow and had rooted there like a weed, ornery and stubborn and strong.

But it was only to be expected, right? They had shared so much; their lives, their hopes, hatreds and understandings of each other. It was logical to consider Naruto as a necessary being in his life, right?

That didn't seem to settle right with his "avenger" mindset. He was Uchiha Sasuke. He was not supposed to _need anyone._

And yet, as often as he told himself this, it did not change anything. And he tried to be so careful not to show anything, as if by not acknowledging his feelings, they didn't exist. 

But it was getting harder and harder to hide now. The things that he had been able to explain away long ago made less sense as the years went by. It was no longer thoughtfulness that compelled him to provide companionship; it wasn't arrogance that made him want to protect; not a desire for power that created the need for the usura tonkach—….for _Naruto_…

He needed him. 

But did "need" equal "love"?

And this was the barrier that Sasuke refused to cross, the edge of the cliff so to speak. Yes, he cared about Naruto deeply. Yes, he was willing to fight and die for him, as a close friend and comrade. But love….love was going too far. Unreasonably far. Ridiculously far.

It was impossible.

Hence his discomfort during Naruto's last field trial, where he had heard something innocent and unassuming and had instantly panicked. Naruto hadn't meant anything, and yet the moment had filled him with such…cursed…_happiness_…and then he'd freaked out…

_Why_ was he so afraid?

_Because everything that I had told myself to believe had been destroyed in that one second._ He had the power to do that. Something in me had the power to do that.__

It had to be suppressed.

Yes. He had to focus on reality. He was an Uchiha, last of his clan. He had obligations to fulfill.

But even that seemed to be a poor excuse in the eyes of some…

_"What do you have in mind for the future?"_

_Sasuke did not look up from his bento. Lunch break was short, he had a long patrol scheduled and he was too hungry to waste any time not eating. "What's it to you?" he asked with his mouth partially full._

_Hyuuga Neji, on the other hand, did not seem to care about food at the moment. His pale eyes seemed to watch something in the far distance. They were sitting on the rooftop of the __jounin__Academy__, where Sasuke usually ate alone, but Neji had joined him today._

_"Will you marry?" Neji asked abruptly._

_Sasuke choked. Neji made no move to help as the usually composed shinobi hacked and drank half a canteen of water._

_"What did you say?" Sasuke wiped his mouth. "What does that have to do with anything—"_

_"It is something that you and I must consider." Neji was taciturn as usual, but Sasuke did not want to just let things slide. "What are you talking about?" he asked, completely bemused._

_The pale white eyes that distinguished the Hyuuga clan slid shut. "You and I are of advanced bloodlines. It is therefore vital that we produce heirs."_

_Sasuke sat very still. It was not a concept that he'd never heard before, but it was the first time that he had realized how significant it was to him. He had not really considered the future unless it involved Itachi; he had no other goals to work forward to save becoming an ANBU, and he had done that._

_Was he then destined to become an Uchiha breeding machine?_

_He didn't realize that Neji had been watching him until the Hyuuga began to speak. "I see you haven't given it much thought," he said, a touch smugly._

_Sasuke grew defensive. "What about you then? Why are you bringing this up?"_

_Neji turned his face away, staring at his hands. "I wanted to see what you wanted to do with your life."_

_Utterly lost, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why?"_

_The pale-eyed ANBU did not look up. "If you were to marry, you would choose a woman of highest caliber and intellect, would you not? You would not only want to pass your bloodline through her, you would want to compliment it with the most outstanding traits that she could offer." _

_Sasuke nodded. Neji placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself up only to stroll slowly to the railing of the rooftop. "I was introduced to such a woman today." He said softly. _

_Sasuke put his bento aside. "Your family is arranging a marriage?"_

_"The woman I met today underwent the Hyuuga clan's strict processing and passed with flying colors. She is intelligent, has formidable technique, and she's beautiful." Neji gripped the railing and braced himself against it, watching the empty blue sky._

_Sasuke was quiet. It was all in what Neji did not say that said it for him. _

**_He loves someone else._**

_Almost as if Neji could read the other's thoughts, he whirled around and pierced Sasuke with his penetrating stare. "You and I both used to think that power meant everything," he said almost fiercely. "Do you still believe it, as an Uchiha?"_

_            A blur of memories raced through Sasuke's mind. His dead parents. Sakura's laughter. Itachi. Kakashi's tardiness. Orochimaru. The war. Naruto's fox-slitted eyes. Darkness and then redemption. _

_            But…_

_            "Yes," Sasuke answered softly after a moment of silence._

_There is no other way for people like us. _

_            Neji snorted. "You lie."_

_            Stunned, Sasuke rose and stared Neji in his pale eyes. "No one calls me a liar."_

_            "And yet you are lying," Neji's lips curved into a sneer. "You're lying to both me and yourself. I can see it."_

_            Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Where the hell do you get off calling me that?"_

_            Neji turned his back on Sasuke. "You have been around him too long to think that way any longer," he said quietly over his shoulder._

_            "What?!" Sasuke exploded. "Who are you—"_

_            His voice stopped as he realized who Neji was referring to. _

_            The Hyuuga sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sometimes I regret listening to that idiot," he said reflectively._

_            Sasuke regained his voice. "What are you talking about?"_

_            "I'm not really sure," Neji stared at the rooftops of Konoha, unstructured and mismatched and yet fitting against the blue sky. "It was so much easier when I didn't regard my own feelings. And then that fool opened my eyes…"_

_            Opened my eyes and showed me how to see myself in the darkness._

_            "So what are you saying?" Sasuke asked warily. Neji turned slightly to regard the dark-eyed Uchiha. And after a moment, he smiled. _

_"I think I may try being an idiot," the Hyuuga mused._

_            "What?"_

_"I'm going to refuse the marriage." Neji said patiently._

_Sasuke was dumbfounded. "You mean…you're going to go against the Main House?!" he asked incredulously. "But that—"_

_"—won't be easy, I know. That is of no consequence to me. There is no situation I cannot handle." Neji's voice had regained its icy haughtiness. "I shall relish it as a challenge."_

**_I will not give up despite what others think of me. That is what you taught me, Naruto. _**

**_And I will win._**

_Sasuke could not say anything, and instead let stunned silence portray his current state of mind. Little cotton balls of mist sailed slowly through the blue waters of the sky, and only the sun was heavier than the quiet. After what seemed like an eternity, Neji flipped gracefully up onto the railing and faced the rooftops of Konoha. "I wish you luck, Uchiha, in whatever you do," he said without turning around. "I hope you find a light to guide you."_

_And the Hyuuga leapt out into the golden afternoon._

All right, fine. Maybe Naruto did influence him; perhaps he did remind Sasuke of things that could not be compromised for power. But that did not mean that Naruto was one of those things.

Or, he was. He was vital to Sasuke. But he didn't love him or anything.

………….

He didn't. He couldn't. He wasn't that strong.

Because if he did allow himself to fall over the edge, if he let the floodgates of his heart open….who knew what he might do. Who knew how badly he would be hurt.

And he _would_ be hurt. There was no possibility of Naruto harboring similar emotions, and the end result inevitably would be Naruto running from such a scenario. Running from him.

He was Uchiha, yes. But even he wasn't strong enough to take that. He could not afford to lose the only light powerful enough to overpower his own dark soul.

So he would watch over Naruto for now, and he would keep up his walls and defenses, and he would make himself impenetrable.

And if he fell…he would be the first to run instead.

* * * * * * * * * 

            Shikamaru, tensai of Konoha, was backed up completely against the back wall of Konoha's flower shop. Sweat stood out on his forehead as he licked his dry lips, his eyes darting around to seek escape.

            "You're not getting out of this one, Shika."

            The Shadow nin's eyes snapped forward to view his adversary, a blonde shinobi with a rather sinister smirk, who was not more than six inches away from his nose.

            From this distance, her eyes were even clearer, her face was absolutely perfect, like a heavenly tennyo—

Kami-sama, he HAD to get out of here. 

He cursed at his stupidity; he had figured that Ino might have seen Naruto around, and so he'd asked after him. Shikamaru knew that Naruto was dealing with something because he was so quiet as of late, which was a mythical occurrence. He also knew that when Naruto was troubled, he'd usually pour his soul out to Sakura. Then Sakura would talk to Ino, and then Ino would know all sides of the issue and would have the most up-to-date information. Thus, Shikamaru figured there was no harm in asking about Naruto's state of being. Much as he pretended not to be, he was worried about the idiot.

But he should have worried more about himself. Now Ino was on his case, and he didn't like it when she was completely focused on him. It made him extremely nervous. Actually, it made him giddy with fear. He had the distinct impression that she could see through his mask of indifference and read what lay behind it.

He did not want her to know.

            "You know what, never mind. I gotta get going." Shikamaru made his voice as nonchalant as he could. "Gotta…you know…do…lots of things—" 

            "You know something, don't you?!" Ino stepped even closer, making Shikamaru's insides compact exponentially. "You know something about this, don't you?!"

            Shikamaru swallowed, desperately trying to look annoyed. "What are you blabbering about now, dammit?" When Ino made no further comment, he made his lips curve into a poor smile. "This better not be about Uchiha again."

            Ino's eyes narrowed. "Stop trying to change the subject. Why in the world would you ask me how Naruto was doing?"

            Shikamaru opened his mouth to answer, then seemed to change his mind halfway. "No reason. Just making small tal—"

            "SHIKA!" 

Refusing to let his countenance blanch, he tried to put her off once more. "Like I said, never mind. I really need to go—"

            He froze, partly in shock, but also partly because Ino had grabbed his face in her hands and it was hard to move his head. "How do you know??" she demanded.

            Cat was out of the bag now. Shikamaru sighed. Of course Ino's father would have told her about the warning from the Sand Country and that there were people after Naruto again. After all, his father had told him about it. Perhaps even the whole village knew.

            "Geez, Ino, how else do you think I'd find out? From my dad." The shadow nin snorted.

            He was totally flabbergasted when Ino released his head and clapped her hands to her mouth instead. "The whole….village…you're kidding…"

            "Well, it's probably for the better," he said quickly, puzzled by her distress but wanting to reassure her quickly. "That way, the whole village can keep an eye on hi—"

            "Better? This is the worst thing that could happen!" Ino threw her hands into the air. "What should we do?! Sakura will kill me, and that's the stupid part, I didn't say a word! And Sasuke-kun! Oh my gosh, if he thinks that I did it, he'll despise me for the rest of my life and beyond!" 

Shikamaru forced another smile that came out more like a grimace. "I don't think Uchiha would care much about the village knowing."

            "Are you kidding me?" Ino's voice rose in scandalized tones. "I'd seriously care if something like that got out to the village!"

            "Ino, you make no sense. It's better that the village knows. We can watch over that dolt a lot easier this way."

            It was Ino's turn to look flabbergasted. "Who….do you mean Naruto? What do you mean, watch over him?"

            "Watch over. To protect, to guard, to keep from harm—"

            "That's not what I mean and you know it! What do you mean….like protecting him from Sasuke-kun?"

            "Why the hell would anyone protect Naruto from Uchiha—"

            "—I don't know, you keep bringing it up—"

            "Che!" Shikamaru began to rub the back of his neck, his physical indication of annoyance. "I don't understand a word you're saying—"

            "_You're_ the one that makes no sense—"

            "See, this is why I told you to forget it—"

            "Forget it?! Do you know how much this is going to hurt Sasuke-kun?"

            Shikamaru was silent. Ino was about to launch into another lungful of scolding, but the heated words diffused out of her as she watched him, watched as something in him seem to fade.

            "Why do I even bother?" she heard him mutter. "Mendokuse." He stretched his neck from side to side and turned his eyes on her again. "This isn't about Uchiha," he said harshly. "I think if you want to help, we'd better concentrate on watching over Naruto—"

            "SHIKA, IF YOU DON'T EXPLAIN WHAT IN KAMI-SAMA'S NAME YOU MEAN BY 'WATCHING OVER NARUTO,' I WILL MIND TRANSFER INTO YOU AND FIND OUT MYSELF."

            This was the threat that always got him. For some reason that Ino knew not, Shikamaru was terrified of her using her jutsu on him.

            He had a great way of not showing it, though. In response, he rolled his eyes. "We have to watch over him because one of that snake-guy's men is after him, remember?" he explained patiently.

            There was a profound silence. Then the entire shop shook with the force of Ino's surprise. "WHAT?!" she screamed.

            "Crap," said Shikamaru. His father was going to kill him. **NOW** the whole village would know.

* * * * * * *

            After a lot of unintelligible muttering and screaming, Ino was informed of the situation. 

            "But why?!" she asked, horrified. "Why are they after him again?!"

            "Dunno." Shikamaru slouched over to the reception counter and leaned against it. "But people are always after him, so it's actually no surprise."

            Shikamaru had gained a lot of respect for Naruto over the years, mainly because of the idiot's drive to excel. The tensai had never suspected that Naruto would be capable of such dedication when they were younger, but by now he had learned not to be surprised by anything his loud, annoying comrade did. Naruto was still an obnoxious fool, but he had shaken everyone's image of him over and over again. It was too troublesome to be surprised by his accomplishments anymore.

And yet, Shikamaru had never figured out what exactly was in Uzumaki that was wanted by so many others. True, Naruto had inhuman chakra stamina, and was taught by the legendary sennin Jiraiya-sama, and was a close comrade of Uchiha Sasuke…

Wait.

"Hang on…" he said aloud, slowly. "What if they're trying to get Uchiha again by using Naruto?"

"What?" Ino had also slumped into silent speculation, but now her eyes snapped back onto his face with alarming intensity. "What did you say?"

"Maybe they're after Uchiha again." Shikamaru's brow furrowed. "Maybe they're using Naruto as a ploy to make Uchiha careless…it makes more sense that they'd be after him because of…well…"

There was no point in saying it aloud because it was just painful for most ears, that Sasuke had once left Konoha to become a follower of Orochimaru. But Shikamaru and his hand-picked team had brought him back. That part of Sasuke's life was over.

Probably Orochimaru's cronies didn't see it that way, though. Now that Orochimaru was dead, they probably hoped to carry out his intent with Uchiha's body and make him immortal even though the source was gone—

Shikamaru almost screamed in shock. Ino was once again only about six inches away from his nose. "YOU DO KNOW SOMETHING," she thundered without raising her voice pitch.

He just about flew back to get some distance between them. "What the hell—"

"Spit it out, Shika!" Ino demanded. "Did Sasuke-kun tell you? How do you know?"

"Know WHAT, dammit?!" Shikamaru yelled back. "I don't even know what the hell—"

"THAT SASUKE-KUN REALLY IS IN LOVE WITH NARUTO!"

It was as if someone had sucked all sound out of the room with a vacuum cleaner. Both Shikamaru and Ino stood extremely still, as if they were trying to be images in a still-shot photograph. Chouji poked his head into the shop to say good morning as usual, noted the atmosphere, and decided to come back later.

"Shi…Shika?" Ino finally ventured. "Ano…I guess you didn't know…um…but…ah haha….don't…let's just keep this between us, huh?"

Shikamaru was silent. Ino's panic level rose. "Shika?"

"I'm sorry."

Ino blinked. Shikamaru's eyes were focused on her own, but they were cold and hard, not the soft deep grey that she had come to know so well.

"Sorry for what?" she tried to smile. He didn't smile back. Ino let her brow furrow in a puzzled frown. "Shika, you're being weir—"

"I'm sorry that he likes someone else." Shikamaru nearly spat the words from his mouth in a flat vehemence that felt very odd to him. So much emotion in his voice. He wasn't used to it. 

"Why be sorry?" Ino cocked her head to one side. "It's not your place to feel that way."

She was even more confused when he gave a bitter sort of chuckle. "Yeah. You're right." 

_It's not your place._

Totally bewildered, and a bit nervous, Ino looked at the floor. "But I guess you didn't know, huh? I mean, the way you reacted—"

"Actually, I kinda noticed. You just confirmed it, though." Shikamaru raised a hand to run it over his hair. "They've always had a weird relationship, those two. Che….it's too troublesome to think about."

But it made sense, perfect sense. The small things he'd seen between the two of them were enough to alert even the dead, or at least he thought so. The hatred, the friendship, and then that terrible rivalry that had nearly ripped the two apart had only served to draw them closer to each other. Like a trial by fire, they were welded so tightly now that it only made sense that they would care deeply for each other, deeply enough to love.

And still this stupid, childish kunoichi that stood before him, this fiery, spirited girl still loved that goddamn Uchiha prodigy, even when she knew he'd fallen for someone else.

This beautiful, strong woman.

It really, really hurt sometimes when Shikamaru thought about how long it had taken him to admit that he loved Ino, that every time he had come to that conclusion he had pushed it aside because he was smarter than that. He knew better. How could he compare to her ideal? And yet the feeling had not died, it had only grown larger and more painful.

Men were truly masochists deep down. It was the only explanation that worked, that he enjoyed hurting himself again and again, because when he added up all the factors put into the soul-eating ache, it wasn't worth it.      

And yet…and yet…it was impossible to stop.

"Are you upset about it?" he asked directly. 

Ino lifted her gaze to meet his, and saw something in his eyes that twisted her stomach in a strange way, not at all like the feeling that she used to get when her old heart-throb would happen to glance at her. It was a stillness that gripped her now as she faced that gentle, melting comfort that was clear in Shikamaru's eyes, but would never leave his mouth in the form of words. 

He was such a frustrating person. Ino's jaw clenched in automatic response to her indignation. So frustrating, so hopelessly emotionless, so goddamn LAZY. 

And yet she longed to believe in what she could see in his eyes. She yearned to rip off that scowl that hid his soul and behold the joy, anguish, anger and hope that lay underneath. She didn't know why, but she wanted to know him, so badly that it burned her guts. She wanted to confirm how wrong she was about him, she wanted to shake the image of her mind's eye and let her soul see him, see who he really was.

She wanted to understand what he was trying to tell her with his soul-deep gaze, the one that she was trapped in at that very moment.

Could it possibly be true?

            And as Ino opened her mouth to ask the forbidden question, the one that Shikamaru  always managed to avoid, cut short or sleep through, Chouji stuck his head back into the shop and shouted "OHAYOU!!" Then, as if on fire, he bolted. He could have waited, indeed, he had more tact when it came to the two of them, but he really had to get going to the academy to get his next mission.

            The mood completely interrupted, Shikamaru blew a sigh of relief and waved a hand languidly at Ino before slouching out the door. Ino did not wave back, but instead stared at the floor and clenched her fists.

            She did not know what to make of him.

* * * * * * * * *

Thanks for reading, please review!


	6. Chapter 6: Denial

And once again, I forgot to say it. But here it is! Since I am new to posting, I do not know how to retain my original format when moving from document to webpage. This is why my format is sometimes kooky. I chose to ignore it for now, but perhaps someday I'll get the hang of it.

Your reviews are still and will always be appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…what kind of jutsu would I have? Well, it'd have to have food involved. I'm quite partial to yummies. ^__^)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 6: Denial

Naruto did not understand himself anymore. Why couldn't he get over the incident with Sasuke during his jounin field trial? Why did he get so hurt this time, why couldn't he just shrug it off and just forget it as usual? 

Was it because of what had been born in him that fateful night?

            A year ago, he had not mastered the taijutsu art of staying absolutely still so as to blend into shadows and silhouettes without the aid of hand seals or chakra expenditure. It was a basic skill—Kakashi had _aggravatingly_ pointed that out—so that was of course enough to make him stay out all night to practice and show "that goddamn asshole and that pervert sensei."

            But it had been a hard day, and the extra practicing soon had Naruto perched precariously in a high tree, asleep. He was rudely awakened when he toppled from his seat into the Konoha canopy.

            If he had only hit the ground, that would have been better at least for his dignity. But no, he had to get caught on a sturdy tree branch by the seat of his pants, completely immersed in branches and leaves.

            So he hung there with a gigantic hole in his pants, trying to twist around and free himself but not getting enough momentum to quite make it all the way around, snagging on all those ridiculous leaves, cursing during the whole ordeal—

            "What're you trying to pull?!"

            Hello. Voices. Voices = Help.

            Naruto sucked in a deep breath to scream for assistance. Instead he squeaked in shock as a shuriken suddenly burst through the canopy, not too far from his head.

            The situation went from aggravating to BAD in 0.2 seconds. "CRAP," Naruto hissed. He was rather ill-disposed to defend himself, dangling like some ridiculous piece of fruit in the middle of a shinobi duel. AND there was a hole in his pants.

            After a bit of thinking, he decided not to call for help because of the high chance of being mistaken as an enemy and killed. Hopefully, the two warring shinobi wouldn't notice him and would eventually move away.

Now was a good time for that taijutsu he'd been practicing. Biting his lip, he stilled his entire body and prayed that his lucky underwear wasn't poking through the canopy. He then focused his hearing on the fight below to judge their distance from him—

            "Get the hell away from me!"

            Naruto jumped. That was Iruka-sensei's voice!

            "Iruka-sensei?!" he called, getting a mouthful of leaves. Spitting and cursing, he clawed a small hole in the canopy to see what was going on below.

            His breath caught in his throat. His teacher, mentor and friend was pinned against a tree by a man that Naruto had never seen before, though the unknown shinobi wore the Konoha insignia on his flak jacket. A man with silver hair and a covered eye—

            Wait a minute. 

            ……………

            No way.

            Naruto shook his head vigorously. That was not his sensei. That could not be his sensei, reason being Kakashi-sensei wore a face mask and was a kind of vapid-looking guy most of the time. Indeed, he was nothing at all like that steely, tense, aggressive mask-less shinobi down there who was handsome in a really irksome kind of way, like Naruto knew someone who looked like him, that guy below with a low drawling voice and a tilted forehead protector…. and….and….

            HOLY SHIT.

            Naruto snapped his open mouth shut so fast that he heard a cracking sound. He looked again.

            Way. Very way.

            That was Kakashi-sensei.

            No mask.

            It was almost like seeing the man naked. Naruto had the strong urge to look away, as if he was invading Kakashi's privacy by looking at his unmasked face. But he couldn't, just as Iruka-sensei couldn't seem to.

            Naruto had always wondered what had been hidden by that dark cloth. He had suspected all mannerisms of things, such as fish lips, horse teeth, hairy moles, BAD acne, interesting/compromising birthmarks, scars, or perhaps a tattoo of the Icha Icha Paradise logo. But he was not prepared to see absolutely nothing.

            Well, there **_was_ one scar, a very long one that ran across his left eye and down the left side of his face, almost to his jaw. Other than that, he looked like an ordinary….well, a good-looking guy.**

            Naruto was disappointed. He now owed Sakura 500 yen.

            The missing face mask in question had fallen down around Kakashi-sensei's neck. But the silver-haired jounin didn't seem to care, as he was intent upon holding Iruka-sensei down.

            Oh yeah. Forgot about that. WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON??

            Figuring that something tremendous was happening, Naruto decided to not make a move or sound until he figured out what the two men were up to. He held his breath and peered carefully at the two jounin.

            Iruka struggled valiantly, but to no avail. Kakashi held him pinned against the tree trunk almost painfully.

            "Stop it, dammit!" Iruka's eyes locked onto Kakashi's with something that looked a lot like fear.

            "Then don't fight me." Kakashi's voice was low and almost monotonous, which might have fooled Iruka except for the harsh glint he saw in Kakashi's right eye. The silver-haired jounin was pissed.

            Then he smiled a strange smile.

            "You're really serious," he commented. "You even tried to attack me."

            "That wasn't obvious enough?!" Iruka nearly yelled. "I DID attack you! And I'll do it again when you get off me—"

            "I'm not going to," Kakashi's grip tightened on Iruka's arms. "Not until you tell me—"            "Like HELL I'm going to say ANYTHING—"

            "Iruka."

            The brown-haired jounin stiffened, eyes wide as if horrified. It was the second time Kakashi had addressed him by name, and its effect was no less potent. Something in him froze; his soul solidified into the most delicate and fragile of crystal, exposed and alone.

            He could not let Kakashi see that.

            "You don't have any manners at all, do you?!" Iruka made his voice unusually loud to hide the trembling. "Addressing me by my first name—"

            The outburst was stilled as Kakashi pressed the fingers of his left hand to Iruka's mouth. "Iruka..." he said again, quietly. "Say what you want to say."

            Iruka's chest heaved as a huge knot suddenly twisted his insides. Kakashi was right. Though his tongue was laden with furious diatribes and accusations, there was really one thing he wanted to ask. 

He wasn't really sure he wanted the answer, though. But he had to know.

            "Why did you kiss me?" Iruka almost whispered, his mind's eye flashing back to events that had barely occurred…

            _"You don't have to talk about it, seriously—"_

_            "It's not like it's a huge secret or anything, Sensei."_

_            Iruka shook his head. It was true that he already knew the story of Kakashi's left eye and how it had come to be, but still. "No, just don't. It's doesn't feel right somehow for you to be telling me about it…..the story of your past, I mean."_

_            The moonlight made little impact through the trees of the forest, so it was hard to see Kakashi's covered face. But somehow, Iruka knew Kakashi was smiling ever so slightly. Perhaps it was in his voice. "You're sure?" the silver-haired jounin asked._

_            "Wha…of course I'm sure!" Iruka was affronted. "I'm not trying to dig into your past or anything, I….what do you think I am?"_

_            "You'd make a great mother."_

_            Iruka's eyebrow twitched. "Look, it's almost three in the morning, Naruto's probably passed out in here somewhere. It's not healthy given any case to sleep out in the open—"_

_            "Alright mom, keep your apron on." Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "You should head back. You gotta teach tomorrow, right? It's my fault that Naruto's out here anyway, so I'll find him—"_

_            "I'll find him 'cause I want to, and you're staying with me till he's safe at home." Iruka huffed. "Damn right it's your fault he's out here."_

_            Kakashi's right eye closed as he smiled sheepishly, and they continued to walk side by side through the forest in silence. _

_This was not an unfamiliar scene for either of them; ever since Naruto had been under Kakashi's tutelage, a relationship had begun to form between the two jounin due to Iruka's concern for Naruto. Though rocky at first, the bond between the two men had grown just as their students had, so much so that they were together most of the time now, enjoying each other's company in work and rest, in talk and comfortable silence. Unless of course Kakashi was stupid and provoking enough to make stupider individuals stay out late and get sick, then Iruka would drag said jounin out of his nice warm bed and into the woods not for company, but for punishment._

_But when it was all said and done, it was still good to be with someone in the dark cold woods, someone like Kakashi who was quiet and confident and put Iruka in mind of a guard dog, fiercely protective. _

_Shaking his head slightly to dislodge these distracting thoughts, Iruka began to send his chakra out in a thin wall, trying to locate Naruto's blue and red aura._

_            Distracting thoughts….reformulating….Iruka gritted his teeth and tried to concentrate, but it was futile._

_Perhaps it was Kakashi's proximity, the fact that he was so near Iruka, close enough for the other to feel the magnificent, dangerous strength of his chakra. A strangely warm, soothing force._

_            This was the chakra of a man who had been an ANBU special force ever since he was sixteen, who had seen more death and war in his teens than Iruka had seen his whole life, who had probably killed dozens and was destined to kill more. But Iruka felt so incredibly safe with him, so comfortable and at ease._

_            People were such mysterious beings, especially once you got to know them._

_            "I wonder if the rest of the world will ever see you the way I do." Iruka said softly, almost not meaning to say it aloud._

_            "Huh?" Kakashi's response was predictably sleepy-sounding. Iruka smiled. "Nothing," he said just as quietly as his first comment._

_            A moment passed by in what Iruka thought to be a comfortable silence, but that notion was destroyed immediately. _

_            "How do you see me differently?" Kakashi asked, his voice still low but no longer sleepy._

_            A bit perturbed, Iruka came to a halt. Kakashi immediately matched his action step for step, turning to face the brown-haired jounin.  
            "What are you talking about?" Iruka asked, the confusion plain in his eyes. Had he offended Kakashi in some way?_

_            "Do you really think you know me any better that anyone else?" Kakashi's voice was gravelly, with a slightly mocking air._

_            Iruka's nervousness waned. "I would think so," he said lightly, smiling. "I've spent a lot of time with you, I'd think that I've probably know a bit more than anyone else around here. " _

_            "Have you really?" came the dry response. Iruka nodded slightly, still a bit lost and feeling displaced._

_             "You're mistaken." Kakashi said pleasantly._

_            A short silence emphasized Iruka's surprise. "Huh?" he said._

_            "You don't know me any more than anyone else does." Kakashi's voice took on a slightly patronizing tone._

_            "Wha…what does it matter…" Iruka was now totally dumbfounded, but starting to feel defensive. "It doesn't matter….I mean…what exactly haven't I seen about you? I even saw you cooking once, which I don't think a lot of people in this village—"_

_            Iruka's voice dropped away completely as Kakashi slowly raised a hand and tapped a finger to the side of his own face, against the dark blue mask._

_            Silence pressed around them briefly, then Iruka's voice returned with a vengeance, along with a savage blush. "I WOULD NOT ASK TO SEE YOUR FACE!" the brown-haired jounin thundered, face red. "That's like….that's like seeing you naked!"_

_            Kakashi chuckled quietly, not sounding remotely mirthful. "See…you don't really know me that well."_

_            "Don't I?"_

_            Kakashi's eye snapped open and focused on Iruka, who was scratching at the scar over his nose to hide his embarrassment._

_            "It's not that I don't want to see it," Iruka said to the ground, not looking up at the silver-haired jounin. "I think everyone in the village wants to. It's just that somehow…I know…that you wouldn't want to show it to just anyone that asked. I think…you'd only show it to people you really trusted. Or cared about."_

_            He expected to hear Kakashi's lazy laugh, or footsteps, but he wasn't prepared for silence. After a moment of it, he looked up at Kakashi and was mesmerized by what he saw in the other man's right eye, that glow of something gentle and vulnerable._

_            "Do I trust you?" Kakashi asked quietly._

_            And Iruka suddenly understood._

_            But was it right? As Iruka reached up towards the mask, his hand clenched as if to hold himself back. Was it time to see Kakashi's face, time to expose himself to what Kakashi hid from the rest of the world? Did Kakashi really trust him enough to do this?_

_            And as he touched the edge of the mask and heard the breath catch in Kakashi's throat, he would have stopped were it not for Kakashi's gaze holding his own, assuring him, telling him that he **was ready.**_

_            Iruka clamped his eyes shut, hooked his fingers over the mask and pulled it down in one swift movement._

_            Then he opened his eyes and saw Kakashi. Saw something so pure and unguarded in his face, something so trusting, something that looked like wonder._

_            Was he really looking at this? _

_ Was this some kind of dream? _

_Iruka resisted the sudden and strong urge to reach out and touch Kakashi's exposed face, to make sure he was solid, dense, real._

_            But there was no need to do that, as Kakashi was reaching towards him, saying something quietly, breathlessly…_

_"…Iruka…"_

_            Suddenly impossible to breathe—_

_            Too close, too warm, too—_

_            Kakashi's mouth closed gently over his own. _

_Iruka's eyes opened wide as he realized this, as he felt tremor after tremor break over his rigid body, as he understood what was happening to him. _

_And his mind reeled in horror as it discovered that his body was responding, relaxing, allowing the kiss to deepen, melting in the gentle passion emanating from the other—_

_            With a strangled cry and a gasp, Iruka broke away, stumbling back. The ground was fuzzy, swirling…he couldn't even see straight. Kakashi's body was the only thing that did not waver in his vision, but he could not seek refuge there. He could not!_

_            He saw Kakashi move forward and nearly fell trying to maintain his distance from him._

_            "Stay away," Iruka gasped before vaulting into the canopy._

            But Kakashi was a jounin after all. Not even shuriken had deterred him from catching his prey.

            _Why?! Why did he do it?! Why had he ruined everything?!_

            "Why did you kiss me?" Iruka whispered.

            There was only a thick silence to answer his question. Then Kakashi's right eye closed as his entire body seemed to sag, very slightly, but enough for Iruka to notice. "Forget it," The silver-haired jounin muttered as he began to turn away, letting his hands fall from Iruka's wrists.

            Quick as only a shinobi can be, Iruka's freed right hand grabbed the front of Kakashi's flak jacket , preventing him from turning away completely. Kakashi blinked at him in surprise. 

            "Answer me," Iruka grated out softly but vehemently. "I deserve it."

            "Sensei—"

            "GodDAMN YOU!" Iruka suddenly and unexpectedly gave Kakashi a fierce shake. "You did NOT call me 'sensei' just a minute ago! What do you want from me?! You think I can ignore something like that as if it were nothing?! What the hell do you think I am?!"

            Kakashi did not struggle against Iruka's grip, but the eye that watched him was empty, distant. Normal. "Just forget it. You're making way too big of a deal out it."

            "'Making a big'…WHAT?!" Iruka demanded, something making his vision hazy and his heart so full of heat. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

Kakashi's shrugged. "I was just fooling around. You take these things way too seriousl—"

Iruka punched him. Punched that beautiful scarred face right in the jaw. Not hard enough to break bones, but enough for anyone to want to wear a face mask for a while.

There was nothing after that except Iruka's ragged breathing. The brown-haired shinobi gradually let his head hang until it rested on Kakashi's collarbone and said nothing. He could not say anything.

Kakashi could, though.

"Why did you take my mask off?" the copy-ninja asked softly.

Iruka started, but did not lift his head. He didn't want to see Kakashi's face, or the mark he'd just made. And he stayed quiet.

Kakashi was silent as well, simply standing there supporting Iruka's weight. They stayed that way for a long time, or perhaps it was a short time, who knew? The world swirled around them while they stood forlornly, timeless, like two boulders parting a river. Immovable.

Then Iruka's voice came, muffled by Kakashi's flak jacket. "I wanted you to trust me." He said into the silver-haired jounin's chest.

Kakashi's eye closed. "I see," he murmured. And then he began to pull away.

But he didn't make it. Iruka's hands were clenched in the sides of Kakashi's jacket, grip as strong as the stitches in the fabric itself.

"I answered your question." Iruka did not look up, though his voice shook with intensity. "So answer mine."

There was a pause. Then Kakashi lifted a hand, laid it against Iruka's cheek, gently forced the brown-haired jounin's gaze to meet his.

"I'm sorry," he said with a light, fake smile. "I was the one who was mistaken."

_A mistake?Iruka repeated_. What does that mean?__

_Maybe he means I wasn't the person he meant to…_

No. That was obviously not it, because something deep in Kakashi's eyes was glowing intensely, painfully.

_He did mean to do it._

_But why?!_

"I guess I just lost my head for a minute and…I don't know…I wasn't thinking." Kakashi gave a small, heartless chuckle. "Hoped…too much."

"Hoped for what?" Iruka whispered.

Kakashi did not answer, but he did not let his gaze break from Iruka's, so for one split second, Iruka saw the unguarded, wondering tenderness he had previously seen before on Kakashi's naked face.

And he realized it for what it was, because he had seen it in his youth on his own father's face as his father watched his mother sleep at night. It was the look of a man in love.

Love…

_Kami-sama. Iruka felt the ground drop out beneath his sandaled feet as an anvil of epiphany fell heavily on his head._

_He loves me._

Andas_ Iruka grasped this, confirmed it, he probed for a reaction, scoured his soul for it. All he came up with was a tingling feeling, a burning glow deep in his gut. _

Was it…?

His attention abruptly snapped back to Kakashi, who was still smiling so artificially, gaze full of a bleakness and sorrow that burned, the look of a sentenced man seeing his last glorious sunrise.

"I'm sorry, Iruka." The copy-ninja said. "Forget it, if you can."

And just as Kakashi was about to make the final seal of a memory suppression jutsu with his other hand, Iruka seized it in a fierce grip and yanked, pulling Kakashi down, crushing their mouths together, letting heat and possessive need pass between them, into and through them. Waves of gold pouring into Iruka's heart, a warmth so pure and joyous, filling in voids previously unknown. 

He hadn't recognized it for what it was. He hadn't seen it! But it was there, surely it was there, large and vibrant as the sun. And everything made sense now, the strange thoughts and unexplainable desires fitting together like puzzle pieces.

He loved Kakashi with so much unknown power.

The kiss slowed at the end, finished gently, tenderly. Iruka drew back slowly, waiting for Kakashi to open his eyes. And he smiled bashfully as he watched the sadness melt, the surprise take its place, and most of all, watched a piercing ray of hope shine through Kakashi's eyes.

"That didn't feel like a mistake to me." Iruka said quietly, smiling.

He meant to say more, to be somehow formal about all this, but Kakashi was not a ceremonial person, and between the smiles and being crushed so close and another hungry kiss….Iruka grew too distracted to formulate coherent sentences.

When the two jounin were gone, Naruto finally freed himself and fell to the forest floor. He did not crow with triumph, curse the tree or even check the size of the hole in his pants. 

He just sat where he'd landed, staring at the grass before him, silently exploring the foreign but not unpleasant throbbing in his heart.

What had he just seen?

It wasn't like he'd never seen amorous advances before. Hell, the ero-sennin was one of his mentors, the man made his living off of such things, right? 

But this one was….different.

Was it because it was between two people so important and vital to Naruto's daily life? He examined this fresh thought carefully. Of course such a thing would made some kind of impression on him, right? It was perfectly normal for him to feel a bit strange about it.

But not like this.

All right, so this funny feeling wouldn't go away. Yes, time to face the music. Men. Two men. Albeit Iruka-sensei could do no wrong as far as Naruto was concerned, and Kakashi-sensei did whatever the hell he liked, but it was still….not normal. So yes, the funny feeling could be defined as discomfort.

Right?

The small, annoying voice inside Naruto said no.

Then what WAS IT?!

**_You_ _want to feel that way_, the voice said.**

UGH, NO! Naruto shook his head vigorously. ONLY SISSIES DO STUFF LIKE THAT!

_Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei aren't sissies_, the voice said smugly.

………………

DAMN YOU, VOICE IN MY HEAD! SHUT THE HELL UP!! Naruto screamed mentally. 

But he let the thought simmer, allowed himself to muse over it. Was that what was impacting him so much? That aura that had been almost palpable between the two jounin, such an intimate, sacred force, something that both demanded and gave at the same time…that funny thing people called "love."

Did he want that? Not a family type of love, the kind that Iruka-sensei and Sakura-chan gave him, but a possessive soul-sharing kind, that "special" kind?

He tentatively imagined what it would be like to have such a relationship. Something that made him feel warm inside, happy and whole, and at the same time empty, hungry, needing to satisfy forbidden desires, seeking deep blue colors and blood-red eyes—

_What? **WHAT? WHOAH THERE. **_Naruto's eyes opened wide._ What the…___

After a moment of shock, he commenced shut-down on all thought processes. He was obviously having way too many strange, results-of-having-butt-exposed-to-open-air thoughts.

But like a swimmer getting adjusted to cold water, he ventured to re-open his mind— just a bit— to the strange subject that had flashed involuntarily through his brain…a black-haired Sharingan user…

And suddenly the crack was ripped asunder as too many memories came flooding through—a husky voice telling him not to die—the same voice telling him to rest, his fight was done—a body curled up in a coffin—late nights of training, sweat, tears—eyes like blood filled with black fire—

Naruto broke out of the spiral of thought, breathing hard. He was trembling on the brink of some great epiphany, something that didn't make a lot of sense to him and was too disturbing to even imagine.

_There's something wrong with me, _he thought_. _

And he leapt off into the night, holding the back of his pants with one hand.

* * * * * * * * * * 

There were just friends, Naruto had always told himself after that night. He and Sasuke were buddies. Well, maybe not buddies, more like…teammates…..or no…

No. There were more than that, they'd gone through too much together to simply call it that. They were friends. 

So then…friends liked each other a lot, right? Right. And Naruto liked Sasuke, for all his cold-bastard behavior. They'd spent a lot of time together, so such feelings were perfectly normal too.

But after that night…after catching the scent of something so sweet and precious…Naruto found himself wondering what had happened to his understanding of Sasuke's importance to him, why the feeling seemed to be mutating before his very eyes, influencing his thoughts and dreams and desires—_desires?! No, no no no **no****!!! Sasuke was just a friend, for crying out loud, their relationship did not involve anymore complicated than that.**_

So then _why_ did it hurt that much when Sasuke pulled shit on him now? He'd done it countless times before, and Naruto had been able to deal with it back then…but lately it had begun to feel exponentially more awful with each incident.

Why?

Screw it. He wouldn't think about it. He would just label it as something-wrong-with-me-I'll-get-over-it-later and move on.

But deep in his heart, he knew an answer would have to come soon. Either he'd go mad first, or something really huge and most likely out of control would occur.

He didn't think he was ready for something like that.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Done. Thanks for hanging in there, now we shall have action! Interaction! Confrontation and some…popcorn….I am hungry.

Thanks for reading, please review!


	7. Chapter 7: Execute

And with the posting of this chapter, I think I will slow down. I am not quite finished yet, and I don't want to stop the story in the middle or climax of the…uh…climax….as it will destroy it. It is all there, truly, but it is not good enough yet. I will try my best.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…now a jutsu with food would be great, but impractical. I suppose I could throw Tabasco sauce…it works for Ussop…)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 7: Execute

A whole week dragged by without incident. No one reported seeing any solitary nin, Naruto was kept oblivious to the plot, and the Village of Sand did not come up with any new information. Except for a select few shinobi, Konoha began to relax back into its usual pace, and the jounin began to concentrate on other missions.

            That was when Kogaku finally struck. 

Every night, Naruto would try to retreat to his forest meditation, and every night, he would be followed by Sasuke. There would be little or no communication between them save an initial exchange of insults, followed by long bouts of tension-loaded silence, more insults, then Naruto escaping home again.

            It was a pattern, and it was getting rather old, in Naruto's opinion. He needed something to break the monotony. Something new and interesting, flashes of light, puffs of smoke, crazy jutsu, anything like that. He missed the ero-sennin and his kookiness. Even that old pervert was more interesting than a brooding Uchiha.

            What the hell did Sasuke want, anyway? A fight? Or something—A FIGHT? Ooh. Interesting.

            Naruto grinned a vulpine grin. Tonight would be different, for once. Or at least he hoped it would be, because not only was he bored, he was also finding himself entirely too comfortable with Sasuke's presence. His grin faded rapidly.

            He needed to distract himself, to stop thinking about those strange feelings that simmered deep in the bottom of his soul.

            Strange, unbidden, potentially dangerous feelings.

            With this in mind, Naruto executed The Plan: Trick Asshole Into Being Interesting.  After the usual interchange of insults and a short journey into the Konoha woods, Naruto seated himself on the forest floor, settling his back against a fallen log. He could hear Sasuke come to a halt and settle down just beyond reach.

            Time to set the bait.

            "If you're going to follow me every night, maybe we should do some sparring or somethin'."

Sasuke's Sharingan faded abruptly. "What?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and let his head loll lazily in the direction of Sasuke's voice. "I said, if you're going to follow me every night—"

"I heard you, dumbass." Sasuke's voice was curt. "I'm not sparring, so get that thought out of your head."

One of Naruto's eyebrows twitched. The Plan could not fail so early in the evening.

"Aw come on. I'm bored, you're probably bored, let's do it." Naruto put a wheedle into his voice.

"What are you, three? No." Sasuke did not sound any closer, physically or otherwise. Naruto gritted his teeth. He should have put more thought into baiting Sasuke. Well, he could always go for the classics.

"Afraid I'll kick your ass, huh?" he said gleefully. This tactic was ranked #3 on his list of "Ways To Piss That Arrogant Asshole Off," as it usually had a high rate of success.

"Actually, I'm not, as I know that'll never happen." Sasuke's voice had a touch of satisfaction to it. Said response was ranked #4 on his list of "Ways To Piss That Dobe Off" and while he often bypassed the list in favor of a fight, he otherwise considered it quite perfect.

Naruto fumed, but played cool. "Relax, I wouldn't take advantage of how weak you are," he said nonchalantly.

Sasuke's jaw tightened, as it did whenever he was challenged. "I don't feel like taking it easy on you tonight like I always do," he shot back.

"I don't give you time to take it easy on me, asshole," Naruto retorted instantly, voice shaking with anger. The Plan had obviously failed, and miserably, but Naruto thought nothing of it now. _Why the hell am I so pissed? he thought wonderingly._

But he was angry, no doubt about it. Like a tight wire on a stringed instrument, he was wound up enough to snap at the mere touch of Sasuke's barbed insults and comments.

Why this AGAIN? What WAS it with the stew of mysterious emotions that boiled inside him, that made him so sensitive, touchy and downright not himself?!

Oh to hell with that. He was just pissed. He had every right to be. Sasuke was a jerk, this was fact. Naruto's anger had nothing to do with anything except Sasuke being his usual bastardly self.

"So? You want some?" Naruto threw at the Uchiha, voice tight and horribly controlled.

Sasuke hesitated a moment before saying what he considered the most provoking thing he could say to Naruto, but he said it. "You're not worth wasting my time on."

_Not worth it._

He knew how much it would hurt Naruto; he half-expected him to take off deeper into the forest. Instead, he was greeted with a thick, heavy silence. Fists clenched, he shut his eyes and felt something in him boil with remorse. "Damn you…why do you make me say such things?" he almost muttered. 

"Oh, sorry for twisting your arm." Naruto's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Yeah, if I didn't have my daily dose of shit from you, I'd have such a lousy time sleeping, ya know?"

"I'm sorry."

Naruto hurt his neck from twisting it so quickly to give Sasuke a wide-eyed, incredulous look. "WHAT?"

"I'm sorry." Sasuke looked rather defensive, but the slight flush in his pale face indicated his unexpected if not grudging sincerity. "I didn't mean that—"

"Like hell you didn't!" Naruto snapped.

It was Sasuke's turn to stare. He hadn't known what to expect from his apology, but he certainly hadn't expected the hatred that had just surged into the blonde shinobi's voice. 

Naruto's insides were quaking, his body was trembling; the troubled waters inside him was boiling over. Whether the shaking came from anger, hatred or something so deeply sad he had no idea, and he made a gallant attempt at stopping himself, but the words spilled out of him by the force of his tremors.

"You meant it. You always mean it. I'm never good enough to be acknowledged by you, huh? Every time that I do something better than you, you just kill yourself to be better than me. I'm just beneath you, aren't I?!" Naruto's voice rose in pitch. "I'm never allowed to be even your equal, am I?!"

Something was squeezing painfully in Sasuke's heart. "Naruto—"

"SHUT UP! SHUT THE HELL UP! I'M NOT FINISHED YET, GODDAMMIT!" Naruto tried to calm down, sucked in some air to cool the fire in his soul, but it only served to fan the blaze into an inferno. "You and your FUCKING superiority complex make me sick! I used to think that being your equal would be a great thing, but not anymore, you goddamn asshole! I don't know how I ever saw you as a friend! Dammit, I don't even know how I could possibly think that I like you at all, let alone love yo—"

_What?_

…………..

_What?_

**WHAT THE FUCK?!!!. **

Naruto clapped a hand over his mouth in horror. **_Whoah_****_, whoah whoah shit!!_** **_Shit!!_** **_Where the hell did that come from?!_ He screwed his eyes shut and prayed to all the former Hokage and Tsunade-sama to boot that Sasuke had not heard the last of his outburst. **

No such luck. When he opened his eyes, Sasuke was standing over him with an expression that could only be described as dangerous. 

"What did you just say?" Sasuke asked in a voice that was hoarse and low and altogether not his own.

Naruto seized the opportunity to clamp his eyes shut and hide behind his all-purpose smile. "I said that you're a dickwad. Guess you haven't heard it enough times to know what it means—"

His eyes snapped open as Sasuke seized the front of his shirt and hauled him up, so that their noses were mere inches away from each other. A startled gasp caught in Naruto's throat. That asshole was too close. Much too close. He was reacting to it. Bad. No matter what, he had to get away.

"What did you say?!" Sasuke growled in that foreign voice.

"Nothing…I don't know!" Naruto heaved against Sasuke's grip defiantly. "Get the hell off me!"

But he was sick with fear. Sasuke had heard it, there was no other explanation for his behavior. And Naruto had no idea what would happen now.

_Well, the worst thing that could happen is that he'd kill you_, Naruto's ever-optimistic inner voice tried to reassure himself.

No. That wasn't true. It could be worse. And as Naruto beheld that unfathomable look in Sasuke's deep black eyes, he hoped desperately that the dark-haired shinobi _would_ simply beat the crap out of him. Beat some sense into him. Pain would be a welcome, concrete change to the jumbled thoughts and painful settlings of his heart.

Because he had his answer now, he had figured out what was bothering him for so long, Kami-sama, he knew. His heart had known before his mind, the words had burst from him with the brazen lack of discretion that he was known for, unexpected words, truthful words.

It had taken too long, but he could now explain the strange empty feeling that gnawed at his soul, the hot yearning for something so close and yet unknown, the irrational need to seek attention from the person that he wanted to protect…to share everything with…to give up everything for …

To love…

He knew. And now Sasuke knew it too.

And Naruto felt his heart break with heavy dread.

"Did you say that you love me?" Sasuke's grip tightened. When Naruto didn't answer, he shook him slightly. "Answer me!"

"Let go—"

"Don't lie to me—"

"I'll say whatever I want, you goddamn arrogant bastard—"

"Did you say it?!"

"WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT MATTER IF I DID?!"

Stunned, Sasuke let his grip loosen on Naruto's jacket. The blonde shinobi immediately backed out of reach, eyes wide and sparking with defiance and something that looked like pain.

Pain that tore and bled and stung Naruto's eyes, howling with triumph at his stupidity. He had ruined everything between them forever. There was no way…

There was no way that Sasuke could—

He shut his eyes tightly. He would not admit it. Not here, not now. It hurt too much.

"It doesn't matter what I said," Naruto managed to choke out. "It's not like it was important or nothin'. "

There was a brief silence. Sasuke's eyes did not leave Naruto's as he took a deep breath. This made no difference, this didn't change anything, his feelings for Naruto—he didn't HAVE feelings for Naruto—he had been right to be so paranoid, but in the face of this…in the light of Naruto's piercing gaze…none of his jumbled, panicked thoughts mattered. 

What mattered was truth.

"Do you love me?" he asked softly, asked against his soul screaming at him to stop, to flee while he still had a chance.

For a second, Naruto's soul floated, for just a moment, he dared to dream that he heard the sound of wonder in Sasuke's voice.

But it was only a moment, and for this…for this…he wasn't daring enough.

"I hate you," he said with the confidence he was known for, staring at his former teammate, his rival, the young man that he had come to care for more than anything in the world.

If he said it first, it would hurt less.

And as he prepared to escape, the music hit him.

Sasuke's gaze did not leave Naruto's face, though his focus shifted immediately to the source of the thin, reedy sound.

It was a shakuhachi. The breathy music wafted about them, swirled around them, seemed to become one with the wind that danced among the trees. The player was close to them, obscured somewhere in the shadows of the forest.

The Sharingan flared to life as Sasuke finally tore his gaze away from Naruto and stared intently into the darkness. He could make out a person lurking in the tree cover, a very thin, emaciated individual whose ripped and tattered clothes seemed too large for him, a forehead protector teetering at the top of his small head—

The Hidden Village of Sound's symbol!

As easy as breathing, Sasuke sent three shuriken hurtling towards the little man. A shriek sounded from the shakuhachi, and the projectiles ceased spinning, dropping harmlessly to the ground.

Aside from this brief break in tone, the man did not stop playing, though he opened his eyes and stared at Sasuke with a wild, triumphant look.

The red eyes narrowed. "Naruto, head back to the village. This one's on the list, name's Kogaku." Sasuke said quietly. _Get away from here, Naruto. He's after you._

There was no response. "Naruto," Sasuke hissed. "This is serious. We can talk la—"

"Run."

The strained whisper was strange enough, but the command—especially from Naruto—was too unusual to ignore. Sasuke whipped his gaze back to the golden-haired shinobi.

And he felt the air punched from his lungs, felt his chest turn to ice, felt the Sharingan evaporate from his eyes. Naruto stared at him with pupils that were red, fiery orange-red, not the beautiful blue that Sasuke had come to know so well.

 "Naruto….?" He asked uncertainly. "What…"

"Run. Please." Naruto said again in that odd voice, that intense whisper.

Fangs, there were fangs in Naruto's mouth. Real animal canines. And that familiar face was changing, the marks on the cheeks becoming more prominent, the eyes elongating into slits.

_What was going on?!_

A glow grabbed Sasuke's attention, and his gaze shifted downwards to Naruto's middle. Something was shining through Naruto's clothing, centered around the blonde-shinobi's navel—_it's a seal, Sasuke realized. A seal that looked a lot like the forbidden one he'd only seen in scrolls, the kind used to banish extreme evil, like the one used to seal the great Nine-Tails so many years ago—_

And then he realized it. 

_The Kyuubi….Naruto…_

"No," Sasuke choked. His legs failed him; they trembled violently as the shock rippled down his body. "You can't be…you aren't…"

"Dammit…Sasuke…please…" Something was underlying the plea in Naruto's voice, something deep and unsettling. "Run….don't look…not you…"

"You're the demon fox," Sasuke whispered.

And Naruto threw back his head and screamed, his voice full of sorrow and pain and a fierce exultation that was not his.

The Kyuubi was free.

* * * * * * * * *

It was late; tears formed in the corners of Sakura's eyes as she yawned. She fervently wished to be like the rest of Konoha: sound asleep in nice warm beds. True, she hadvolunteered to be on the special patrol that had been called into service when the warning from the Sand Country came, but she hadn't expected it to always end so late…. and she had an early class to teach, curse it all…

Lee smiled at her sympathetically as they made their way towards the jounin office. "It was a long patrol today, wasn't it?" he said gently. "We will soon be there."

The pink-haired sensei nodded and concentrated on walking, putting one foot down, then the next, then the—

She gasped as Lee grabbed her around the waist and ducked into a narrow alley. "What—" she managed to choke before a twenty-foot snake rushed past the opening.

ARGH! Inner Sakura screamed. "AGGGH!!" Sakura seconded. Lee clapped a hand over her mouth. "Ssh," he hissed, looking out at the street. "They will not notice us if we are quiet."

Peering over his shoulder, Sakura could see an alarming number of animals accumulating. Varying in size, bears, cats, frogs, slugs, dogs and snakes filled the streets of the sleeping village, silent save for the whispers of their movements.

"What is this?!" Sakura whispered against Lee's hand. He shook his head in response, pressing himself close as a gigantic wolfhound sniffed outside their hiding place. Sakura focused on the animals closest to her, channeling chakra to her eyes in order to determine whether the animals were illusions or not. 

She gasped. Lee stole a glance down at her. "Sakura-san, what is it?"

"These are summoning beasts," whispered Sakura. "Their chakra is from the alternate summoning dimension."

"I see. But this many…" Lee refocused on the masses of animals. "What is the meaning of this?"

"They've been summoned here, but by whom and for what purpose, I don't know." Sakura looked up at Lee. "We need to report to Hokage-sa—"

Her eyes dilated in horror. Rock looked down at her, then realized she was staring at something behind him and lifted his eyes to follow her gaze.

His mouth fell open. A colossal snake towered above the alley they were hiding in, a snake as large as three jounin academy buildings.

Orochimaru's summoning snake, Manda.

The snake struck, whipping its neck against the rooftops of Konoha. Through the crash and shower of falling rubble, screams of surprise and pain could be heard. As if a secret cue had been struck, the animals in the streets began to attack, ramming themselves at walls to find the beings inside, snarling with bloodlust and malice.

Lee cursed and bent his legs to spring out of the alley, but Sakura swiftly held him back. "We need a plan," she said, her voice trembling but her eyes determined. "With this many summoning beasts, they could decimate Konoha in minutes. We need to sweep the entire village." She bit her lip in thought, then turned to look towards the center of the village. "Lee-san, head for the jounin office, bring anyone you can find with you. Once you're there, spread out in a ring, clean the village out. I'll head for the outskirts of the village and do the same thing coming back in. Tsunade-sama must know about this by now, she'll deal with the big snake for the moment. We'll meet in the middle and then help her. Got it?"

            Rock did not move. Sakura turned back to look at him, shaking the hair out of her face, her eyes glowing with urgency. "Lee-san?"

            His black eyes were dancing with unnerving excitement over the coming battle, but they also vibrated with warmth and admiration and something very intimately tender. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Then he was gone in a puff of smoke. 

            Sakura only took a moment to let heat spread over her face, a smile tug at her lips, and then she was flying out of the alley, taking out whatever creature stood in her way.

* * * * * * *

Kogaku brought the flute away from his lips, leering crookedly. "Looks like the transformation has begun," he observed. 

Sasuke locked eyes with the sound shinobi. "What did you do to him?!" he demanded.

"Just played some music," Kogaku shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess your friend doesn't have the stomach for it."

Naruto was kneeling on the ground at this point, arms wrapped around himself as if in pain. Inhuman growls and whimpers scoured Sasuke's ears, but he refused to let himself look away from his enemy. "What the hell are you talking about?!" he snarled.

"I am Unjou Kogaku." The small ninja made a mock bow in Sasuke's direction. "I am…was…one of Orochimaru-sama's greatest servants."

"I don't give a shit," Sasuke's hands suddenly filled with kunai. "Answer me. What did you do to him?!"

"Orochimaru-sama valued me highly," Kogaku continued, giggling with ill-concealed glee. "In fact, I was so special that he never let me show myself in battle—"

The sound shinobi jerked instinctively as a kunai thudded into the ground a hairsbreadth from his foot. "I'm not playing around," Sasuke growled. "Explain. Now."

Kogaku let his lips spread apart in a sinister smile, completely unafraid. "Of course, of course, forgive me. How rude of me to treat you so, Uchiha Sasuke." He cleared his throat. "Orochimaru had a back-up plan in the unlikely event that he were to die. You see, he had to have you no matter what."

"Predictable," Sasuke said in contempt, valiantly hiding the fresh shudder that ran through him. "I already made it clear that he can't have me."

"Yes," Kogaku spread his arms wide as if embracing the night. "You chose your village over the power Orochimaru-sama offered you. You chose your friends, that whimpering cub there, over unimaginable potential."

_Don't let him provoke you, don't let him provoke you. Keep him talking, he may tell you how to help Naruto_, Sasuke chanted at himself, his grip tightening painfully on the weapons in his hands. "What do you want with Naruto?" he asked, malice making his voice low. "Why are you after him?!"

"No, no, no, no," Kogaku shook his head. "Orochimaru-sama is still ultimately after you, Uchiha Sasuke. It is a great honor to be held in such high esteem, isn't it? As for your dear Uzumaki, he is a vital component in capturing you."

Trying not to let his confusion show, Sasuke's mind raced rapidly. Naruto, a component? A tool to capture him? What did they mean for him to do?!

Kogaku let loose a squealing laugh, then stopped abruptly. "Uchiha Sasuke, what if there was no village, no friends, nothing left for you?"

Sasuke kept his face impassive, though a growing sense of dread began to grow in his stomach. "You tell me," he said.

"Orochimaru-sama knew you, you know. He knew what would hurt you the most, and that's why I was so important to him." Kogaku lifted his shakuhachi and caressed it lovingly with his fingers. "I can do what all his other men cannot."

"You can't resurrect him." Sasuke said derisively. "No one can."

"Of course not," Kogaku smiled. "Orochimaru-sama himself is the only one that can do that. But he needs me….he needs me to help him."

Sasuke said nothing. Kogaku continued to finger his shakuhachi. "You see, Uchiha, my music is filled with a great amount of chakra. I can use it as a force to protect myself….and I can do other things with it too."

"Like what?"

"The ability to summon without a contract is within my music's power as well."

A brief silence followed. "I see." Sasuke said dispassionately, a great hole of fear growing in his stomach. _Konoha…_

"My music has awakened thousands of summoning beasts," Kogaku grinned. "By now, they must be tearing your hidden village to shreds."

Sasuke swallowed, strengthening his resolve. "Konoha defeated Orochimaru once before. Like hell they'd lose to a bunch of animals," he said confidently.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama thought that too," Kogaku nodded in agreement. "But he figured that even the mighty Hidden Village of the Leaf wouldn't be able to handle the Kyuubi."

It was as if Sasuke had been struck blind. The kunai dropped from his fingers as numbness overcame his limbs. "You're releasing the Kyuubi?!" he meant to scream, but it came out weak with terror. "Are you mad?!"

"Only a bit," Kogaku conceded, smiling widely. "But not as mad as you will be once you see your comrade destroy everything you've ever loved."

_No, Sasuke thought, horror and disbelief crushing his heart._

_Naruto is still—_

The sound of uneven footsteps gave Sasuke new focus. He whirled to see Naruto attempting to run for the trees, hunched over like a wounded animal. 

The black-haired shinobi was in front of the blonde in less than a second, gripping him by the shoulders, holding him back. "Naruto!" Sasuke said roughly, desperately. "You've got to stop!"

A clawed hand scrabbled at the front of Sasuke's shirt, then Naruto raised his face to the other's. Sasuke swallowed hard. The blonde's eyes were slitted and brilliantly red, but he thought he could see something far in their depths, something that was not murderous and powerful.

Fear.

Sasuke's grip tightened as he felt something like vertigo wash over him, a horrible thought spreading its ice-cold fingers over his raw psyche, the thought that Naruto was…

Naruto was….

Daylight never escapes the night.__

_Where is he?!_

_Where are you, Naruto?!_

* * * * * * *

Thanks for reading, please review!


	8. Chapter 8: Lost

Whrrg….the more I read the reviews, the more I feel like I'm going to disappoint people (Y'all are really kind, by the way. Be mean to me! ^__^). Oh well, it is my story after all. I just hope you like it.

So I am actually posting more of the "fast-paced stuff" than I meant to because I don't really want to drag it out. But I kind of have to go slowly, as the ending isn't done and I'd rather not stop in the middle, like I mentioned before. Well, we'll just see how it goes. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…no, when it comes down to it, I'd have to have a jutsu with music involved, like Kogaku. Music is power!)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 8: Lost

"I want ANBU on that giant snake. Do whatever you need to contain it. Go." Tsunade raised an arm in dismissal.

            The ANBU squad disappeared instantly. Tsunade turned briskly to the jounin assembled before her. "Some jounin have already started to dispense of the summoning beasts," she snapped. "Head for the living areas of Konoha, assist those who need it. I want those sectors secured as quickly as possible. Now!"

            A second puff of smoke left the Hokage's office rooftop empty. Tsunade let her gaze travel to the gigantic snake thrashing at the buildings of the village. _Are we never going to be rid of you, Orochimaru?! she snarled inwardly._

            "Hokage-sama!"

            Tsunade did not turn around to face the young speaker. "Did you find him?" she demanded.

            Konohamaru shook his head. "His traces indicate that he's in the Fire country."

            "THAT GODDAMN PERVERT!" Tsunade screamed. "HE'S NEVER AROUND WHEN YOU REALLY NEED HIM!"

            Over in the next county's women's bath, a cleverly camouflaged sennin sneezed, was caught by several half-naked women, and was beaten soundly.

            Knowing better than to interrupt the Hokage in such a dangerous mood, Konohamaru waited for the screaming to end. As Tsunade paused for some air, Konohamaru spoke quickly. "Naruto-aniki is nowhere to be found either. I would think that Uchiha is with him. We must hurry, Tsunade-sama, the ANBU will need your help to—what is that?!"

            The Fifth Hokage turned and looked in the direction which Konohamaru indicated. Her blood turned to ice as she recognized the red glow of a chakra sealed nineteen years ago.

            _Naruto_, she thought. _The Kyuubi…so that's what Orochimaru was after. He must've figured out some way to summon the demon fox, that's why he wanted Uzumaki…..but what would he want with the Kyuubi?_

It didn't matter, Tsunade realized with growing dread. At all costs, the demon fox could not be unleashed, no matter what the sacrifice.

But that meant…

_            Goddamn you Naruto….you swore to me that you'd keep your promise…now I'm the one that has to break it for you._

            "Change of plan," she snapped, though her heart sank in her breast. "Konohamaru, we need ANBU back. Looks like the source of our problems is with that red light. Get a hold of ANBU, tell them to head there and destroy whatever they find—"

            "No!"

            Tsunade did not need to look at the new speaker that had just arrived. Her teeth clenched. "Do not insubordinate me, Iruka. There's nothing we can do if the Kyuubi is released; we need to kill off the source before it fully emerges."

            "'Kill off the source'?!" Iruka repeated, his voice full of fear and anger. "_Naruto is the source, you know that! You can't just—"_

"I _can't_? You think this is about can or can't?" Tsunade's eyes met Iruka's, blazing with a similar anger and fear. "You think I don't know that Naruto could be killed for all this? You're not the only one that cares about him, Iruka, but I will not let that thing inside him destroy this village, these people, even you."

Iruka's hands clenched and he made as if to cross the rooftop, but he was held back by his silver-haired companion. "Calm down, Iruka," Kakashi said in a low voice. "They can't do it."

            "Not you too, Kakashi, please." Tsunade's voice had dropped with the weight of her thoughts. Kakashi merely turned his lazy gaze upon her. "Report. There are too many beasts to handle out there, Hokage-sama. We can't spare anyone to get out to Naruto, and we especially need those who have contracts with summoning beasts to bring their respective animals back under control."

            "Means you and me, huh? And that goddamn sennin, if he were around," Tsunade paced for a second, then turned back to Konohamaru. "You say Uchiha's with Uzumaki?" she snapped.

            Konohamaru straightened. "Yes, Hokage-sama!"

            "Fine." Tsunade turned her gaze onto Iruka. "We'll leave Naruto in Sasuke's hands then. But if that monster out there gets loose, we're going to have to kill it off, no matter what. You got that, Iruka?"

            The brown-haired jounin refused to nod, but he bit his lip to stem a verbal refusal. Tsunade let the light of mutual sympathy and understanding shine from her gaze. "It'll be all right," she said gently. "We'll have to trust Sasuke. In the meantime, you have your own job to do." 

Her eyes became harsh and business-like once more. "All right. Iruka, you're cover for Kakashi, he may need to use all his chakra trying to bring his dogs under control. I'll work on my slugs from here."

            The two jounin were gone in a puff of smoke. Konohamaru stood forlornly in the center of the rooftop. As an intern to the Hokage, he was often shuttled off to do grunt work, and he figured this time—even this crisis—would be no different. "I guess I should be going after Jiraiya-sama, right?" he said dully.

            "You stupid boy," Tsunade snapped. "You're my cover. Pay attention!"

            "What?!" Konohamaru stared at the female Hokage as she bit her thumb and began to perform the seals of her summon. "But defending the Hokage….that's SS rank…I'm not even a jounin—"

            "You'd better be better than one," Tsunade snarled, though a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Prove your worth, boy. I'm counting on it."

            "Y….yes ma'am!" Konohamaru crouched into a fighting stance, unable to hide his proud smile. "I won't let you down!"

            The Fifth Hokage nodded, cursing inwardly as the summon was finished and she felt nothing. _We've got a long night ahead of us. Kami-sama, protect this village._

* * * * * * *

_            Hot, so hot._

_            Naruto's vision seemed to swim through the heat, so much that everything before him twisted and undulated. Not to mention that with every passing second, the Kyuubi gained more control, and Naruto's view seemed to dim, as if the sun were rapidly sinking into night._

_            With every passing second, Sasuke saw more of his terrible secret._

_            He had to run. He had to get away from the village, away from what he knew and loved. The Kyuubi had never gained this much control before, so fast and so easily. This time…this time…he could lose himself in it._

_            Heat. Fire. He was burning. Unconsciousness was the only answer, the cool sea in which to quench the burning power of the demon fox. And the Kyuubi was so seductive, it was speaking to him, coaxing him…._

_            **"Give yourself to me, boy. The music summons me, and you stand in my way. Give yourself up, and you can rest in peace."**_

_            The music?_

_            Yes…it was all around him, shrieking in his ears. He felt the demon fox surge through him, responding to the call of the music, desiring it._

_            It sensed his confusion and snarled with impatience. **"Release me, boy! I must go to the music's calling…I must follow it…"**_

_            Follow?_

_            But you're the Kyuubi, Naruto whispered, or thought, or simply realized. You don't follow anyone._

_            And as he thought this, as he voiced this, the fire seeping through his consciousness wavered….surged again…wavered._

_            Then an almighty roar. Hatred soared through the Kyuubi, through Naruto. To think that someone would dare to attempt to summon him…to control him…_

_            **"Boy," the demon fox growled. ****"Release me and let me taste the blood of those who dare manipulate me."**_

_The heat and pain were fading; the music was losing its pull on the demon fox. As the fires receded, Naruto's confidence returned, so much so that his soul pulsed with his victory. He was regaining control. **Fat chance, Nine-Tails**._

_            And then his vision cleared and saw eyes as red as his own, filled with shock and horror and—_

_            **Sasuke.******_

_            **Not you…not like this…**_

_            At that instant, everything crumbled and fell away, everything. Naruto gave up all abilities to feel, welcoming the promised embrace of nothingness, unconsciousness. The fire that he had struggled through overcame him in one swift moment. _

_            His heart was strong enough to brave the might of the Nine-Tails and keep up the emotional barrier that separated him from the beast. But it could not withstand this. _

_            His pain was so much bigger than a demon fox._

_            Naruto fell, and the Kyuubi smiled._

It seemed like hours passed as Sasuke held Naruto in an iron grip, though it was only seconds. Then Naruto unexpectedly pushed forward, throwing his captor off balance. Sasuke gasped in some surprise, but his trained muscles responded immediately. With the grace of a cat, he rolled with the force of the push, bringing Naruto down with him and using the blonde's own weight to lay him flat on his back.

Holding his forearm across Naruto's neck, noses nearly touching, Sasuke sucked in a trembling breath. They were so close, so incredibly close, and yet Naruto was so far from him. 

"Naruto…" he breathed, staring into the red eyes, not caring that something hot and desperate was shining forth from his own gaze. "Stop."

_Come back._

Naruto said nothing, but his mouth curved into a wide smile, fangs glowing in the dark. Then in a burst of uncontrollable strength, he kicked out into Sasuke's midriff and sent him flying.

The Uchiha landed hard some distance away, struggling to refill his lungs with air. Naruto rose and stood still, shoulders hunched, hands flexing like claws.

_I'm losing you—_

"Ngh…Na…." Sasuke fought the urge to throw up, struggling to his feet.

The wide grin did not fade from the blonde shinobi's face. He let his head loll back as visible tendrils of red chakra suddenly began to envelop his body.

Startled, Sasuke took a step back. "What's…going on?!" 

"The Nine-Tail's chakra is bursting out," Kogaku clapped his hands and danced like a happy child. "Soon the transformation will be complete."

Sasuke stared at the seething mass of crimson, feeling the cold hand of fear grip his soul. _I can't fight that thing_, he thought wildly. This was so much bigger than Orochimaru, bigger than Itachi, bigger than anything he'd ever dreamed of. It seemed impossible to even conceive containing it with the entire village's help, let alone by himself.

But how could he let it reach Konoha? There were so many children, pre-genin, and the elderly that couldn't flee fast enough—he couldn't let it reach the village. But how could he stop the Kyuubi? He could die.

He _would _die. 

Skin growing clammy, fingers beginning to tremble, Sasuke felt the electric signals of reason and self-preservation run down his body and into his legs, carrying the very simple yet effective message of "run away."

Run, just like Naruto had told him to.

_Naruto.___

What would happen to him if he left him alone?

            Sasuke refocused on what he was seeing. Naruto was almost lost from view, completely enclosed in a shroud of red. Only the swirling sound of rampant, out-of-control chakra could be heard.

            "What's going to happen to him?!" Sasuke demanded, throat dry.

"I'm not entirely sure," Kogaku shrugged. "The Nine-tails will either use his body as a vessel, or he'll destroy the body as he reforms in this world. Either way, your comrade is lost."

_Lost.___

A thousand images, a thousand words, a thousand moments of sunshine, earnest smiles and noise washed over Sasuke in a thousandth of a second. And it was enough to prompt the birth of something very familiar to the Uchiha, the need to win at all costs. But it was not a desire prompted out of arrogance, or promises, or even the innate wish to live. It was….it was…..

_How can I think of living if you aren't going to be here?_

_I need you with me._

_I…_

"No," Sasuke said softly, putting one foot forward, then another. Another. Each step brought him closer to the writhing, swirling cloud of evil crimson hatred.

A memory of a deep dark blackness sprang unbidden to Sasuke's mind as he drew nearer, a shadow that dogged his dreams and leaded his heart. He had once given himself to it. But they had…

Naruto had…

_You once found me in an abyss so foul and dark…the abyss of my weak heart…._

_I'm going to find you now…_

_Damn you, usura tonkachi, I will not let you go._

* * * * * * * *

Chouji turned from the tiger he'd been pounding into the ground and ran smack into a larger slug. "Geez! Is this ever going to end?!" he shouted as he grappled with the slimy beast. He, Shikamaru and Kiba were defending the main street into the south sector of Konoha, alongside ten more jounin.

            "Less talking, more fighting," Kiba grunted as he directed his family's dogs toward a pack of cats. "There's definitely more than enough animals to overwhelm us, so we can't give them any leeway."

            Chouji nodded, then backed away from his target with a shout as millions of tiny black insects swarmed over it. "Good ol' Shino!" Kiba crowed appreciatively. 

Kiba's canine partner Akamaru loped over to the trio, whining and snarling alternatively. "What's he saying?" Shikamaru did not look at the dog as he trapped three large toads into his shadow jutsu.

"I sent him out for reconnaissance," Kiba's face darkened as he listened to the yaps of his dog. "Not good…"

"What is it?" Chouji asked, quickly swallowing a chakra-replenishing pill.

"Shino's on the west side with Hyuuga and Ten-Ten and about twelve more jounin…they're all right….Haruno's with a team of twenty on the north side…and that Rock Lee guy is coming our way."

"Then what's the problem?" Chouji held out a handful of soldier pills, which Shikamaru and Kiba grabbed and hurriedly stuffed into their mouths. A yell from another jounin sounded behind them.

"Let's go!" Chouji roared as he leaped towards the call. Shikamaru made to spring after him but Kiba stretched out a hand and held him back.

Startled, Shikamaru turned to look into Kiba's face. "What is it?!" he demanded.

Kiba's eyes were dark with concern. "Akamaru says that your girl is in trouble."

"…..huh?!" Shikamaru blinked. Kiba's expression did not change. "Your woman. She's in trouble," he repeated.

"What the hell….what woman?! Is your dog mentally gone like all the others?!" Shikamaru snarled. "We don't have time for this!"

"It's what he said." Kiba said calmly, seriously. "I don't understand it either. But he says you need to go to her. North sector."

With that, Kiba took off after Chouji. Shikamaru stood still for a moment, trying to fathom what he'd just been told.

_A woman?_ **My woman? North sector?**__

His agile mind raced. The north sector was the business district. No residences. His family certainly didn't live around there—

And then a horrible chill flooded his stomach as he realized whom Akamaru had labeled "his woman."

_Kami-sama….and she IS stupid enough to go there….the store…._

He was gone in a puff of smoke.

* * * * * * * *

Kogaku laughed till tears came, holding his stomach. "You…you're serious!" he chortled. "You're going to fight the Nine-Tails!"

Sasuke said nothing, but kept moving closer. The sound ninja tried to contain his mirth as he breathed a few notes into his flute. A great burst of chakra flared out from the concentrated mass around Naruto and hit Sasuke squarely in the chest, knocking him back.

He was instantly back on his feet, but his eyes glowed red with savage anger and confusion. "What did you do?!" he demanded.

Kogaku smiled winningly. "I told you, Uchiha Sasuke, I control summoning beasts with my music."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "You can even control the Kyuubi?" he gasped.

The sound ninja threw his arms wide. "Yes, yes, I can! The most evil power in this land is under my control!"

"That's impossible," Sasuke whispered. "No one—"

"I CAN!" Kogaku roared, eyes nearly popping out of his head. "I have never been allowed to show anyone save Orochimaru-sama until this moment, but I can! See, I am doing it now!" Swiftly he brought his instrument back to his mouth and played a quick flurry of notes. The mass of chakra began to expand from its compacted state, spreading out into a whirlwind of power. "See!" Kogaku chortled. "See!"

He turned to Sasuke. The glow of the chakra illuminated his emaciated face, his deranged smile adding to the horrific presentation. "And do you know what I will do, Uchiha Sasuke?" he purred. "I'm going to destroy your village with the Kyuubi. Your precious Uzumaki Naruto will kill everyone and everything you've ever remotely loved."

Sasuke's face betrayed no emotion. "Oh, but I know what's going on in that wonderful talented brain of yours," the sound ninja grinned. "You're thinking of ways to stop me and that monster. You can stop me, surely, but you'd have to go through the Nine-Tails first." He grew pensive. "Or, you can let him destroy the village. Then he'd still be alive, but….no more Konoha." Kogaku smiled evilly as he lifted the flute to his lips. "Nothing except that monster who'd kill you anyway."

            Yes, there it was! Something had broken in the Uchiha's eyes, something was screaming, agonized, desperate. The plan was working.

            "Orochimaru-sama was brilliant, you know." Kogaku said admiringly. "You see the genius of his plan now. He needs your dead body, but it is hard to kill you. Fortunately, your precious comrade is as lethal as they come. Orochimaru-sama figured that you'd snap realizing that your precious friend was nothing but a monster. But it gets better, oh yes. Now you have the inevitable choice of fighting him or seeing everything else dear to you destroyed by him. And if by some miracle you survived, your mind and your heart would be too broken for you to fight Orochimaru-sama's influence any longer. Ah, Orochimaru-sama was always so good at mind games, these wonderful mind games."

            "Fuck you," said Sasuke, face still expressionless save for the hatred glowing in his eyes.

            "Oh, don't be so bitter," Kogaku crooned. "Don't worry. You're going to die either way. And then," he groped for something inside his belt. "Orochimaru-sama can finally have you."

Bile rose in Sasuke's throat as he beheld something blackened and shriveled in Kogaku's hand. 

A human heart.

"Yes. Orochimaru-sama's soul is preserved in his heart." The sound ninja held the dead organ reverently. "Once you're dead, I will transfer the heart into you, and then Orochimaru-sama will be reborn inside you. He will become the last of the Uchiha clan! And then I shall be his right hand man, and I will reign alongside him over this country, over this world!" He laughed with increasing joy and intensity.

Sasuke did not say anything more, and did not take his eyes off the sound ninja. He simply waited, poised for the fate-closing, inevitable command.

_Come on, Naruto._

Kogaku stopped laughing, raised the shakuhachi to his mouth, sneered. "It ends now," he said before playing a high-pitched, screeching melody. The red cloud dissipated instantly, and the blonde shinobi stared with deep red eyes at the flute player.

"Go!" Kogaku tore the instrument from his lips and raised an arm. "Go destroy Ko—"

A blur of crimson—

A sickening, cracking snap—

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. Unjou Kogaku lay on the ground, neck bent at a right angle, a smile still on his lifeless lips. The shakuhachi rolled from his limp fingers on the grass, next to the shriveled heart of Orochimaru.

Remembering where he was, who he was with, Sasuke snapped his gaze back on Naruto, who was standing quietly over the dead body of the sound ninja. 

"**_Fool_**," said a deep, rich, evil voice. "**_No one commands the Nine-Tails_."**

* * * * * * * *

Meheheheh….I know I am mean with cliffhangers, but that makes it more fun for y'all, right? ::runs in fear from those that don't agree:: I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!! But I'm really not done yet! You HAVE to wait!!

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	9. Chapter 9: Redeemed

So now we begin the long descent into the ending….and it is LONG, I tell you….I'll probably have to take a lot of time to try and condense it, so bear with. I'd like to do a good job with it.

I can't say it enough: thank you for all your kind reviews. I feel so happy whenever a new one shows up.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…if anyone ever bothered me, I'd ask Gaara to deal with it. They'd never bother me (or anyone) again! ^____^ )

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 9: Redeemed

"DAMMIT!" Tsunade screamed in frustration as her summon failed again. _I'm running out of chakra…_

            Behind her, Konohamaru dropped to one knee, blood puddling at his feet. A giant bear growled menacingly at him, lifting a huge claw to strike again.

            _Kakashi can't be succeeding either_, Tsunade thought dully as a surge of faintness passed through her. _And the beasts just keep coming…the jounin can't stop them all…_

_            And that snake…_

            She could see the Manda throwing ANBU off its scaly body, destroying more buildings in the process. Konoha was being decimated before her eyes. _Someone has to stop that thing_, she thought as she fought waves of unconsciousness. _Got to stay awake_—

            A large thud crossed her senses for a brief second, followed by a smaller one. She turned to see the lifeless carcass of a large summoning bear sprawled before the bleeding, unconscious body of the Third Hokage's grandson.

            _You fought hard, huh, Konohamaru_, she smiled as she pushed herself up and tottered over to the teenager's side. _Rest now._

            She swallowed hard and pointedly ignored the crimson life trickling from Konohamaru as she swiftly bandaged his laid-open shoulder, and hesitated only a moment before releasing the last of her chakra over the wound. It would speed the healing process.

            Save one life and lose a thousand more.

            "That's it, then," she whispered. "That's the end of Konoha."

            _So tired…_a comforting sea of blackness began to envelop her. _No……..not after I tried so hard…._

_            Not after I tried so hard, Nawaki….Dan…._

            But an annoying voice was cutting through the warmth…….some obnoxiously loud braggart was screaming some sort of gibberish………no, there were two of them…

            "**FEAR ME, YOU FILTHY MONSTERS! THE REAL BEAST OF KONOHA, THE EXQUISITE GAI-SENSEI, IS HERE! **AND I HAVE BROUGHT A WORTHY COMPANION**, though less wonderful than I—"**

            "YOU HOT-BLOODED FOOL, DO YOU HAVE TO ANNOUNCE YOURSELF AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!"

            "**MY APOLOGIES!**** HERE I MUST PART WITH YOU, WORTHY ALLY, AND DEFEND OUR HOME! UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN!! FARE THEE WELL!!" **

            "….geez. There's always one weird one."

            _Could it be…_

With huge effort, Tsunade managed to open her eyes and make out a figure silhouetted against the moon, a magnificent headdress flaring in the wind. The Sennin of Myouboku Mountain, Jiraiya, had returned to the Hidden Village of the Leaf.

            And he was pouting. "But seriously, I had to leave such cute girls to deal with this menagerie?" he muttered sullenly.

            Tsunade's eyes narrowed. _PERVERT. I'm going to deal with you later….when I can actually stand…_

            "COME FORTH, GAMA-BUNTA!" shouted the sennin, performing the seal with great flair.

            _Guess no one told him what's going on_— Tsunade gasped as the powerful popping noise of a summoning beast crossing the alternate dimension heralded the coming of the great Boss Toad. _He did it_! she thought. _Can we control our summons again?_ _Then the frogs and Kakashi's contract_—

            A quick glance at the streets below confirmed her suspicions. The various dogs and amphibians below had turned on the snakes, bears and cats. Gama-Bunta was already locked in battle with the giant snake, the Boss Toad's knife submerged into the snake's flesh. Tsunade lifted trembling hands and performed a dismissal seal, sending all of the slugs back to the summoning dimension.

            The last of her strength spent, she collapsed completely onto her back, letting unconsciousness creep up on her once more. As she was nearly gone, something white and hairy loomed in her fading vision.

            "Hey, Princess Washboard Chest." Jiraiya said gently, kneeling beside her. "Miss me?"

            Tsunade smiled and let her eyes close. "Go kill that fucking snake, you old fart. I'm taking a nap."

            Jiraiya touched her cheek tenderly before turning his attention back to the clash of the titan beasts. As he watched the Boss Toad sink its knife into the snake again, he smiled, a harsh glint shining in his eyes.

            _You will never have this village, Orochimaru_, he thought. _We'll never let you._

* * * * * * * *

Naruto, or rather the Kyuubi, raised his head to the night sky. "**_The air smells of blood_**," he commented. Then he bared his fangs in a great smile. "**_How I missed this scent_**."

"Naruto!"

The Nine-Tails turned languidly in the direction of the voice. The red eyes narrowed at the sight of a lone ANBU warrior, one that the demon knew very well.

"**_Ah. The Uchiha."_** The Kyuubi smiled. "**_You are still here_."**

"Where is Naruto?!" the young man demanded.

The Nine-Tails' smile widened. "**_Gone_."**

"You're lying!" The Sharingan flared in Sasuke's pupils. "His body is still here. He's still here, inside—"

"**_You foolish human boy_**," The Kyuubi said condescendingly. "**_How could that stupid, loudmouthed brat survive the might of my soul? He was swallowed up by my presence. He's nowhere now_."**

No.

**No.**

**NO!**

Sasuke charged, kunai clenched in his hands, a scream of rage and denial ripping from his throat. A swift flurry of arms and legs, metal and skin, and suddenly Sasuke was locked in an iron grip, face to face with the most evil force in the land.

The Kyuubi opened its mouth wide and sank its teeth deep into the side of Sasuke's neck. The resulting scream was lost in the deep forest, spiraling up into the heavens where only the moon could watch and do nothing.

_It hurts….it hurts…._

By some twisted irony, the Kyuubi had bitten him over Orochimaru's cursed seal. But that bite so long ago paled in comparison to this. This was the bite of predators seeking death, one meant to kill.

_Let it end…._

He waited for the teeth to reach his arteries, for the life to ebb from him, for the pain and evil and fear to fade.

But it did not come. The teeth slowly left his neck, and the pain transformed into a throbbing ache just as potent, but he did not lose consciousness. He was still alive.

And the Kyuubi was looking at him so _strangely—_

"**_Are you so willing to die?_**" it asked him.

* * * * * * * *

Hissing with frustration, a forty-foot snake reared back as shuriken flew at its head. It flexed its tail, preparing to slam it into the side of a small, rather beleaguered-looking building.

More shuriken peppered the air, one scoring a shallow hit in the reptile's flesh. The snake hissed savagely as it eyed its adversary, a lone pale-blonde woman.

Ino put a confident sneer on her face, drawing more projectiles from her leg pouch. "I told you that you're not touching this store," she shouted at the snake.

But her spirit quailed as she chanced a glance back and viewed the crushed produce of her family's flower shop covering the floor. The building would fall after a few more hits. Containing summoning beasts was S level; it had been foolish of her to come out here alone. By law, S level missions were always carried out by at least two shinobi. 

But there was no time, her parents in the north sector, and no one would come out with her to save one building in the business district….this building that had been so much a part of her life.

_Kami-sama, help me….I need to protect—_

She did not see the heavy tail whip her way. It thudded into her chest with a sickening crack, leaving her with not even enough air to scream in pain. She crashed into the outer wall of her family's store, windows blowing out from the impact.

It was funny how odd memories could filter into the mind during pressing situations like this. All she could think about now—even when realizing that at least one of her ribs was broken—were golden afternoons surrounded by gorgeous blooms and the delicate smell of beauty…the smiles of her mother and father…Sakura buying some daffodils "for old time's sake."

_I will NOT lose this!_

Gasping in pain, she tried to rise. The snake's head loomed in close, forked tongue flickering out to taste the air of certain victory. Ino raised her hands to perform her mind-transfer seal, but let them fall after a moment's thought. She could not transfer into animals, there was no guarantee that she could get back out. And she did not want to risk spending the rest of her life as a serpent.

A snake…that snake man was responsible for all this, the one that had tried to take Sasuke-kun…

_Sasuke-kun…_

Something twisted in her broken body.

_Help me_, she begged silently as the snake opened its mouth to let fangs glisten in the moonlight, as waves of pain dragged her to the brink of unconsciousness.

_Please come…you always come when I need you…_

_I need you now…_

And she fell into the deep blackness. With a sibilant hiss, the snake thrust forward, jaws stretched wide to encompass the kunoichi's body—

And reared back, hissing violently in pain. A large shuriken was buried in the side of its neck. The snake twisted about to view its new opponent. 

No one was standing where the shuriken had come from. Puzzled, the snake turned back to its intended prey only to find another shinobi kneeling beside it.

Faster than lightning, the serpent flicked its tail through the air. The slitted eyes narrowed in disappointment as the ninja dodged artfully, but then the snake hissed triumphantly as it felt the very tip of its tail catch the ninja's wrist, snapping it easily.

The shinobi skidded to a halt, facing the snake directly. Eyes narrowed with certain victory, the reptile reared to its full height, tongue flickering out to catch the scent of its new prey. Swiftly, the ninja seized the hand connected to the broken wrist and bent the fingers on it into strange configurations. Ignoring the actions of the shinobi, the snake snapped forward to strike—

And froze. Hissing with surprise, the serpent tried to move but to no avail. Only its eyes could move, and they darted about in panic. The snake was so preoccupied with trying to regain mobility that it didn't notice the twisted shadow of a hand stretching up the length of its neck, suddenly clenching in a crushing grip. Without another sound, without even knowing what had happened, the snake died.

As its body fell to the ground, its opponent darted forward and snatched up Ino's limp form, coming to rest at the top of the battered flower store.

"Ino," Shikamaru said urgently, restraining the urge to shake her. "Ino!"

The kunoichi did not move. "Shit," Shikamaru bent his legs to bring them both to the rooftop, wincing at the lancing pain shooting up his left arm. "You better not be dead, you goddamn troublesome woman. I went through hell to get here—"

She still did not move. Shikamaru turned an annoyed glance onto her still, pale face. "What the hell were you thinking anyway? I know it's your family's store, but you can always rebuild! Better than ending up the way you are now…are you even listening?!" he demanded, angry relief making his voice a lot harsher than usual. "Ino! Wake up!"

Nothing.

Was she even breathing?

The anger surging through him died, became acidic and dissolved down through his gut. "Ino!" he said again, his voice beginning to tremble with intensity.

_Goddamn you, no. No, no, no! Wake up! You have to wake up! Don't do this, woman, you can't do this! _He gave her a very slight shake_. You have to wake up and annoy me with your stupid girl problems, you have to remind me that I'm lazy, you have to…_

The anger was fading fast, to be replaced by abject terror and the beginnings of despair.

_You have to…still be here…_

"Ino…" he said helplessly.

As the silence stretched on for an eternity and Ino did not stir, something hot welled in Shikamaru's eyes. He refused to acknowledge them as tears because he never cried. It was just his stupid, insignificant feelings struggling to break through and he had to ignore those because they didn't matter. All that mattered was for her to wake up, to exist, to be a part of his life once more.

It was selfish, but it was the only thing he'd ask of her.

_You still haven't told Sasuke how you feel about him, Ino._

_You….can't go without doing that, right?_

_So wake up and do it. And I swear I…._

His eyes closed in a silent plea.

_Kami-sama, I'll never tell her, so please—_

A cough, a sickly gasp, and pale blue eyes snapped open. Ino curled into herself as she moaned, hugging her midsection. Shikamaru's eyes opened wide; he felt something melt down his cheeks as he watched her come back to life in his arms.

_Ino…_

She finally lifted her gaze up to meet his own. "Shika," she said weakly.

"Y…yeah. It's me." He regained control of his voice and instantly brought it into its normal brusqueness. "You stupid woman, what were you thinking being out here by yourse—"

He froze as her hand touched the side of his face.

"Thank you," she whispered, smiling a little. "I knew you'd come."

Her hand fell limply to her side as she lost consciousness again. Shikamaru rose slowly, mindful of her injuries, and prepared to head for the hospital.

And knowing that no one could see and that no one except the silent moon overhead would know, he gently hugged the blonde kunoichi to his chest in a long, silent, secret embrace, ignoring the meaningless pain in his wrist.

_Thank you._

Then they were gone.

* * * * * * * * *

"**_Are you so willing to die?_**"

Sasuke lifted a trembling hand to his neck. It was bleeding freely, but not gushing, not dangerously. 

"What?" he breathed.

"**_You dared to attack me…all those who fight me do not survive. Even the Yondaime fell sealing me." _**The deeply whiskered face crinkled into an evil smile.**_ "Are you so willing to die?_**" 

Sasuke swallowed hard. "I have to. To save the village."

"**_But don't you want to live?_**" The Kyuubi asked silkily, seductively. "**_Why don't you run?_**"

The Sharingan faded. Sasuke let his eyes close. "I have been running," he whispered.

_Running from you.___

_But if from this moment on, if this is the last time I will be near you in this world…_

"I don't want to run anymore."

There was a silence so timeless that it seemed infinite. Hours and seconds lost all meaning in the quiet space. And then the Kyuubi _laughed._

Laughed, and released Sasuke.

"**_You humans_**," the Nine-Tails chuckled. It wasn't a particularly reassuring sound, so Sasuke did not relax. "**_You….and this brat…._"**

_What is it doing?****_

Red eyes bored deep into Sasuke's soul. "**_He fights deep inside me_."**

"Naruto?!" Sasuke asked hurriedly, harshly. 

_He's still there?!_

"**_Yes_**," The Nine-Tails smiled. "**_Tenacious little bastard. Thanks to him, I did not fall under that shinobi's control_."**

Dumbfounded, Sasuke could only stare. The Kyuubi grinned. "**_Why are you surprised? The brat has more spirit than even I. His consciousness shielded me from the effects of the music_. ****_He is the reason why you and your village still stand_."**

"But you took over…" Sasuke whispered. "You possessed him…"

The demon fox's smile faded. "**_Yes. My soul can break the seal when he is emotionally broken._"**

Emotionally…

The Nine-Tails watched impassively as Sasuke tried to collect his thoughts. "**_How old do you think I am, Uchiha?_**" it suddenly asked.

Startled, Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know."

"**_I am hundreds of years old_**," said the demon fox. "**_It took centuries for me to grow into the monstrosity that nearly destroyed Konoha nineteen years ago." _The red eyes narrowed****_. "Nineteen years of imprisonment inside a loudmouthed, clumsy idiot of a boy! Do you realize how maddening it was, human? How insufferable my ordeal?  I desire freedom, Uchiha. I should kill you, I should make you my first taste of flesh in nearly two decades and fully emerge as the glorious demon beast I was…that many years ago_."**

Hearing these words, Sasuke felt the heavy hand of fate descend on his shoulder once more. He shut his eyes against it and crouched into a ready fighting stance, kunai in each hand.

Destiny may have caught him, but he wouldn't let it take him so easily. _No more running_, he thought. _I'll die trying to live_.

_I'll find you or die trying._

But nothing happened.

He waited longer. And still the demon fox did not move, did not gather chakra, did nothing. Silence and moonlight were the only active forces around them.

Unable to stand the calm any longer, Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at the Kyuubi. And he jumped, because the demon fox was smiling at him with a grin that was not evil, nor triumphant, nor hateful.

The demon fox's smile….Naruto's smile…was gentle.

"**_I will return him to you_**," the Nine-Tails said.

Sasuke had seen and heard many strange things in his life, but none as unexpected as this. "What?" he choked.

"**_Rest assured, it is not the last you will see of me_**," the Kyuubi's voice turned acidic. "**_I have no intention to die with this brat. But I will return him to you…for now_**."

_Why?_

A deep chuckling filled the space between them. "**_You seem puzzled, Uchiha_."**

"Why—" Sasuke's voice caught in his throat, tripped on the wonder and rising hope. "Why are you doing this?"

The Kyuubi laughed openly. "**_You dare ask me such a thing…you Leaf shinobi are surely brave if not foolhardy_."**

"But why?" Sasuke repeated. _You're a demon…._

The Nine-Tails raised its gaze to the moon. "**_He interests me…this Uzumaki Naruto. I have watched him grow for nineteen years, and he still does not bore me. And it is because of this that I am willing to let him direct his own life…_" The red eyes closed. "****_It is because of this that I bow to the force that is stronger than even I_."**

Sasuke blinked. _Force? "What—"_

With eyes still closed, the demon fox smiled one last time. "**_You foolish human, do you not understand the bond between you and this brat, a force strong enough to confound even the great Nine-Tails? Out of respect for this bond, I will grant him one last chance. I will grant you one last chance_**. **_And I will do it because it intrigues me….this force that I still have yet to understand completely._**"

Sasuke swallowed hard. _Does he mean…._

The Nine-Tails raised its arms to the night sky as if paying homage to the moon.

"**_Will you run from each other even now_**?" it said before Naruto's body crumpled to the ground.

Sasuke stood still, frozen, hardly daring to believe…

_Is it over?_

And Naruto was….

He was….

"NARUTO!!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Well, it _is over, but not. In fact…::stares at the miles of text left to post::....it is far from over. I'll start apologizing for the length of the wrapping up here. It puts me in mind of the Return of the King movie…."it's going to end NOW! No? Ok…..NOW! No?! What the heck…." So yes, sorry. But I couldn't help myself. Hopefully it won't kill y'all. I'll go slowly so I can finish soon._

Thanks for reading, please review!


	10. Chapter 10: Troubled

::sighs:: I'm happy with this chapter, but what follows afterward is still not to my liking. I'm sorry to those of you that want more now, but I really want to do this right. Hope it doesn't bother you too much. Well, maybe this chapter will keep people happy for a while.

As always, thank you for reading, and thank you for your reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…sometimes I wonder if having a shinobi-style life would be better than my own. Then again, both options have rabid people trying to suck the life out of you in one form or another….I guess it's a toss up.)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 10: Troubled

Naruto didn't remember much after he had lost consciousness. Once the Kyuubi had taken over completely, he had fallen into an eternity of deep cool blue. He had felt nothing there. Seen nothing there. It was as comfortable as sleep and as pressing as death.

But then, like being thrown into hot water, he had returned to the world of pain, fire and heat. And voices. So many voices…and he couldn't remember what they were saying…

All there was to remember…to hold on to…was the warmth of a body supporting his own wracked, listless one….a warmth that was possessive and reassuring.

One clear voice among the garbled background noise…

_"I've got you, Naruto."_

He slept.

But now everything was annoyingly white. Naruto screwed up his eyes against the glow of sunlight streaming onto spotless bed sheets. 

He suddenly moaned in chagrin. He knew where he was now; he'd seen this place more times than not: the Hidden Village of the Leaf's hospital.

"Been awhile since you came here, huh?"

Naruto tentatively tried one eye against the sunlight. "Iruka-sensei?" he croaked.

Smiling gently, the jounin came forward and sat on the edge of the bed. "Good morning, Naruto."

The blonde shinobi strained to sit up. Iruka shook his head. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Your chakra was completely drained. If you move around too much now, you'll damage your chakra capacity permanently.

Naruto snorted, but stopped moving. He had an awful headache; the room seemed to swim as he fell back onto his pillow. "Can I eat, at least?" he asked in what he thought to be a plaintive tone.

"Here." Iruka plunked a cup of miso soup onto the bedside table. Naruto gave a heart-wrenching moan. "Noodles?!"

"Quit that," the older man chuckled. Naruto sighed and took up the cup, making a face at it as if it were sewage water. "Where's Kakashi-sensei?" he asked as he eyed his scant meal.

"He's doing a patrol," Iruka answered. "Most of the jounin are surveying the damage inside the village, but Kakashi went with ANBU to scan the outer territo—."

"Damage?!"

Iruka sighed inwardly as Naruto's eyes darted to the window and took in the ravaged surroundings, the blue pupils dilating in horror. After a shocked moment, the eyes dulled and Naruto's brow furrowed. Things were coming back to him.

"Iruka-sensei…" Naruto looked up at his mentor. "What happened?"

The brown-haired jounin rose and made his way to the window, looking out at the damaged buildings and rubble. And he began to speak.

            "….and so Uchiha brought you here." Iruka finished, finally turning from the window to look at his pupil.

            Naruto was hunched in the bed, knees drawn up to his forehead. Iruka's heart squeezed painfully, and he moved to the bed and sat upon it again. "Naruto?" he asked gently.

            "This all happened because of me, huh?" The blonde's voice was fatalistic. Iruka sighed. "It's not your fault in a direct sense, Naruto, but you do have a monster inside of you, and a powerful one at that. I don't think this is the last time something like this might happen—"

            "But I don't want it to happen, dammit!" Naruto turned his head and fixed his eyes on his teacher's, pain shining like a beacon over a sea of troubled blue. "I don't want this place to get hurt, I don't want the people to get hurt, dammit, I don't fucking _want—"_

            He clenched his teeth together and swallowed hard against Iruka's flak jacket. The jounin had taken hold of him and had gently wrapped an arm around his tense, quivering frame.

            "People don't want a lot of things that happen to them," Iruka said quietly. "I don't think you would have volunteered to hold a demon inside you if you'd been given a choice. Kakashi lost some really precious people; he didn't want that. But he still moves on, he still lives and smiles, and he tries to pass the love he had for those lost ones onto others. He does what he can, and he doesn't lose himself to the pain of his fate."

            Naruto didn't say anything. Iruka didn't take his arm away. "Your fate is heavy, so heavy that it impacts others without you meaning to. Just like last night," he said solemnly.

            _And other nights so long ago…___

            "But you're equally strong and you can match it, and you do what you can." Iruka let his gaze travel to the window again, but this time he focused on the blue sky. "You do what you can to protect what you love most. And you did protect us this time. Somehow or another, you kept the Kyuubi from breaking free and destroying this village. Those of us that know your secret know that, Naruto. What happened here wasn't your fault. But what could have happened was prevented, thankfully, by you and Uchiha."

            Iruka turned his head to look at his pupil, a smile growing on his face. "So buck up," he said gently. "It isn't like you to sulk so long."

            Naruto was quiet for a moment longer, then he turned his head and peeped a bit shyly at his mentor. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei," he said, a half-smile on his lips. "Thanks for…I'm sorry I…I mean…ya know."

            Iruka reached out to ruffle the golden hair. "You don't ever have to thank me."

            Naruto nodded, then let his gaze fall onto the forgotten cup of soup in his hands. "Noodles," he sighed sadly.

            "Stop that." Iruka's patronizing air returned. "You can't have solid food for today. And stop _looking at me like that and just deal with it. Uchiha's got five stitches in his neck and has to stay here overnight, you don't hear him complaining—"_

            "SASUKE!!" Naruto screamed as if remembering something.

            Iruka stuck a finger in his ear, opening his eyes to glare at the blonde. "I swear I'll go deaf by next year at the rate you—"

            He found himself speaking to an empty bed and a cooled cup of miso soup. At first he chuckled, but then the laughter died as he recalled and identified what he'd heard in Naruto's voice. Apprehension. Fear.

            _What happened to the two of you now?_ he wondered_._

* * * * * * * * * *

Sakura refused to let her eyes stray to the heavy bandages on Sasuke's neck. "It was Orochimaru again, wasn't it," she asked quietly.

"Yeah." Sasuke closed his eyes. "But I don't think we have to worry much about him anymore."

"If you say so," Sakura said quietly. 

They were quiet for a moment. Sasuke knew that behind Sakura's quiet face was a storm of horror and concern. She had always been so worried about his connection with Orochimaru, things were no different now. But she would never say it aloud so as to avoid hurting his pride.

After the silence passed peacefully, Sakura rose. "I need to get going," she said briskly as she bustled about gathering up her things. "I need to teach in half an hour and I wanted to see Naruto and Ino before I had to leave…you gonna be ok?"

"Yeah," he replied quietly. She nodded and made her way to the door, but before she stepped over the threshold, he spoke once more.

"Thanks, Sakura."

Sakura smiled a fond smile to herself. "Of course. Get some rest." 

She was not five steps down the hall when a yellow blur hurtled into Sasuke's room, followed by a terrible crash. 

_Guess Naruto's doing ok_, she thought ruefully. _I'll see Ino first…_

* * * * * * * *

Naruto disentangled himself from a serving cart and whirled to face Sasuke, who was sitting up in bed with a characteristically emotionless expression.

"How much did you see?!" Naruto bellowed, his headache intensifying with every word. Sasuke blinked. "Wha—"

"You know what I'm talking about! How much?!" Naruto's eyes were wide and shockingly blue against the sterilizing white of the room, like gems lighted from behind, glowing with color.

Sasuke did not let his expression change. "If you mean the Kyuubi, I saw enough."

Naruto's body seemed to shrink as he swore softly. Then he looked up with a frightened expression. "You…you didn't…tell anyone…did you?"

When Sasuke didn't answer right away, Naruto felt his insides drop to his feet. So many of his peers didn't know about the Kyuubi, and he felt that the older generation had at last put it in the past…he'd worked so hard to show them that he was not the demon they imagined him to be…now they'd—

Sasuke smirked. "I'm the only one who saw it, dobe. It's no one else's business, so why should I tell anyone?"

Naruto was at the bedside in an instant. "Really?!" he cried, his eyes pulsing with hope. "You didn't—you're not gonna—"

The Uchiha shook his head, still smirking. Naruto slowly let his face crinkle into a grin before a confident sneer took its place. "I mean, you better not tell anyone, or I'll kill you. Yeah, even you, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Whatever."

Eyes shut in relief, Naruto grinned. Then the smile faded as his gaze focused on the mass of bandages over Sasuke's neck. 

And he remembered something very blurred and crimson in color….Sasuke's scent and the taste of blood…a scream of pain and the lust for killing—

"I did that, didn't I," Naruto did not ask, but stated softly.

Sasuke's gaze suddenly became sharp. "That wasn't you," he said quietly.

"It was, though." Naruto tentatively lifted a hand, the question in his gaze. Sasuke nodded, and Naruto carefully laid his hand on the bandaged area. "Is it bad?"

"It's nothing, just a couple of stitches," Sasuke said dismissively. In reality, the wound was quite deep, but he wasn't going to tell Naruto that.

Nodding, the blonde shinobi took his hand away. Then they were both quiet for a moment.

Abruptly, Naruto sat on the edge of the bed. The headache was not abating—it felt worse now that relief had kicked in—and he felt dizzy, but he wanted to speak. He had to. 

"I've only lost control a few times," he said softly. "I think this was the worst, though. Those other times, I've been able to see what was going on even though he was in control. But this time, I didn't see anything after the…I didn't see anything."

Sasuke did not speak. Naruto kept his eyes on the floor. "It was like I was sleeping. I didn't hear or feel much at all. But when I woke up, I was ok. And that means that someone had to have brought me back."

Naruto drew a deep breath and sighed. "And you were…you were the only one there with me…you didn't run away from me or nothin'…you probably stopped me from doing something awful. I just…wanted to say thanks for that…"

He turned to Sasuke, a small smile on his face. "So thanks…ya know," he finished.

The Uchiha slowly shook his head. "It was probably my fault to begin with."

"Huh?" Naruto peered inquisitively at Sasuke. "What's that mean?"

            _"When he is emotionally broken…"_

            "Because of what happened. Between us."

            Naruto froze. Then after a moment of stunned silence, he grinned. "Uh…I don't know what you're talking about."

            But Sasuke could see something like horror and trepidation deep in the cerulean depths of Naruto's pupils. A small ache began to spread through his chest.

_Are you going to push me away after all this?_

A brazen grin still pasted on his face, Naruto was contemplating bolting. _I need to get out of here_, he thought, trying to keep calm. 

_I said that I_—

_I'm not gonna let him hold me responsible!_

But his head hurt so badly, and his body ached with mighty pain. It almost made him sick to think of running….running in a circle….like the room was circling now—

            Naruto suddenly pitched forward. Sasuke leaned to catch him before he slid off the bed. "Naruto?!" he asked harshly.

            "Dizzy…" the blonde shinobi muttered. "…bad headache…"

            "You shouldn't be out of bed anyway," Sasuke masked the concern in his voice with a scaldingly condescending tone. "Your chakra's not anywhere near replenished yet."

            "I'm…fine," Naruto held his head in one hand, pressing against the pulsing ache. "Just gonna go…back…"

            His vision blurred horribly as the room spun once more. But through the vertigo and throbbing pain, he felt something warm and solid gather him close, strong arms cradling his tormented head. The spinning stopped, and all was still.

            And when his head cleared enough to re-evaluate his situation, he stiffened. For he was wrapped in Sasuke's arms, he was leaning against Sasuke's body, the last of the Uchiha clan held him in a grip that unmistakably fell into the category of embracing.

            Oh….

            Oh….SHIT.

            But before Naruto could gather the strength to push away, say or do something, anything, Sasuke tightened his grip almost warningly. "Just stay still," he ordered quietly. Gently. "Just rest."

            "Get off—"

            "Shut up and sit still."

            After trying to struggle and failing, Naruto gave in and relaxed his body with little grace. He didn't want to, ESPECIALLY not like this, but he was so dizzy. Well, at least his tongue worked. "You're such a stuck-up bastard," he said sullenly.

            "Whatever."

            "Mothering me."

            "You're the one falling down all over the place."

            "I'm fine—"

            "Just shut up."

            "……….I hate you."

            Silence.

            "No you don't," Sasuke said quietly.

            Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and gave in to a moment of terror. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Sasuke wasn't going to give this up. Trust the asshole to make this DIFFICULT. But he was Uzumaki Naruto. He could deal.

            He could end this.

            "Ok fine. We're pals. But you're still an ass—"

            Naruto's eyes widened to their fullest capacity as he felt Sasuke's mouth press tentatively against his forehead in a clumsy but unmistakable gesture. And once again, he was left completely speechless, unable to breathe, unable to think.

            But as unbelievable as it felt, as ethereal, it had to end.

            _Exhale. Exhale, Naruto._ **_EXHALE!!!!!!!!!_**

            "—hole…"

            Sasuke drew back and regarded Naruto, who was staring at him with absolute shock and wonder. And he felt something in him glow, something rather foreign to him but by no means unpleasant.

            Naruto swallowed. "Did you mean to do that?" he asked.

            Sasuke considered the question carefully. "Yes," he finally said.

            The blonde shinobi nodded slowly, and then smiled widely. "Ok. Well, I'm feeling a lot better now, so I'll be goi—"

            "Coward," said Sasuke quietly. Deliberately.

            "FUCK ME, YES, GODDAMMIT, I AM!!" Naruto broke loose from Sasuke's arms and stood unsteadily, hands clenched as he stared at Sasuke. His head hurt, his heart hurt, everything screamed in pain. "I _am_ fucking afraid!! All right?! Are you happy now?!"

            Sasuke turned his head to stare at his hands, pale even against the white sheets of the bed. "I am too," he said.

            _I don't know how to do this._

            "No, you are not!" Naruto's whole body was trembling now, not because of his physical condition, but by the power of his emotions. "You don't know, you don't have the same kind of fear that I have!! I lost you once, in case you forgot. And the last thing I want now, the last goddamn thing, is to lose you again! Do you understand, Sasuke?! That's what I'm afraid of more than anything on this earth!"

            The dark-haired shinobi looked at Naruto once more, watched the blue eyes glow with pain and fear and need and bitter sadness. "I don't understand," he said as gently as he could.

            And as he had hoped, Naruto seemed to calm slightly, hands unclenching and slowly coming down to rest at his sides. But the golden head bowed as if he was surrendering.

            "I'm fine with where we are now," The vibrant voice was so soft, so forlorn. Defeated. "So…let's just—"

            Sasuke suddenly loomed before him. Naruto instinctively tried to take a step back, but found himself against the wall of the room. Which was bad, because Sasuke had that look on his face again, that dangerous, predator-like look.

            Naruto did not turn his face away, refused to look away. He stared at his rival, his teammate, his joy and his sorrow, with the same determination and bravado he showed in all of his fighting. But barely hidden behind the confidence was an overwhelming fear and despair that he couldn't contain.

This was the end.

Sasuke's voice, husky and low, fell on his ears. "Do you love me?" he asked softly.

_No more running_, something whispered deep in Naruto's soul.

"Yes, dammit," Naruto said quietly, unwaveringly. And he waited, waited for Sasuke to laugh, tell him that he could never feel the same way, that his destiny as an Uchiha put him apart from such things, that he had always hated Naruto and nothing would change.

            And when nothing happened, Naruto finally broke the eye contact and made to push past Sasuke and escape for the last time—

            Hands gripped his shoulders painfully, pushed him back against the wall, and then Sasuke's mouth was crushing his own in a hungry kiss, one that had no beauty, no gentleness or tenderness. There was only a white hot power, a need to fulfill, a pain to ease. This was love in its most naked, most passionate form.

            For Sasuke, it was like a dam breaking in his chest, a rush of heat and hunger flooding his senses, overpowering his self-control. He could not stop. He did not want to.

            It was Naruto who broke first, jerking back to stop the kiss. Both of them sucked in air greedily, neither opening their eyes, as if to risk losing the moment. Sasuke's hands left Naruto's shoulders and settled on either side of Naruto's head, cradling it, and he leaned forward to rest his forehead against Naruto's. They stood there and took in each other's presence, and let the world spin on without them.

            And gradually, inevitably, Naruto eased out of Sasuke's grip and pulled away, leaving the Uchiha facing the white, expressionless wall. 

            He leaned one arm on it and waited to hear Naruto's footsteps recede into the hall. But they did not. He was waiting too. And Sasuke knew what he had to do, what he should have done long ago.

            "I love you," he said quietly, not turning around.

            And after a moment, he truly was alone.

* * * * * * * * * *

Thanks for reading, I will do my best to finish soon. Please review!


	11. Chapter 11: Daring

TT__TT   I'm sorry for not updating for so long. Two things happened: my school life has been chewing away at my butt and I can barely spare any time to write because I do need SOME sleep. The other thing is that I have another fic in mind after this one, and I decided that I would not close things up for certain characters in this fic, but instead do it in the next. This meant changing a LOT of stuff, so that's why it's taking so long. Hope you understand. 

Thank you for your reviews, I really appreciate them. I'll work as fast as I can.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…I need someone like Naruto in my life….all smiles and optimism.)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 11: Daring

Sakura knocked, then slowly opened the door to Ino's room. She was greeted by Ino's mother and the overpowering scent of dozens of flowers crammed into a small space.

"Sakura-chan," Ino's mother said warmly. "Thank you for coming."

"Not at all," Sakura tentatively let her gaze fall on her friend. Aside from the bandages covering her torso and stomach, and scratches on her cheeks, the pale blonde still looked marvelously sophisticated and very much in control. Sakura sighed in relief.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Ino's mother murmured before exiting. As soon as the door closed, Ino moaned. "Tell me that you brought me candy. I need something sweet. All they'll give me is porridge."

"Oh? What happened to your diet, Ino-pig?" Sakura asked airily, navigating piles of flowers to sit on the bed. 

Ino glared daggers at her, but Sakura merely giggled. "Relax. I brought you some fruit. Can you eat it?"

Ino nodded, and Sakura fell to peeling apples. "I got you some daffodils," she said, not looking up from her task. "Went over to the next county to get them. Of course they're not as great as yours, but—"

"Is the store gone?"

Sakura looked up in surprise. "Your parents didn't tell you?"

Ino shook her head. Sakura sighed. "Maybe they didn't want you to feel bad."

"So it is gone." Ino artfully lowered her eyes to hide the hot swell of tears that sprang to her eyes. _I tried so hard…_

"Well, actually, it _was_ only half gone by the time it was all over."

"Really?!" Ino's eyes shone with hope, then narrowed with anger. "Don't scare me like that. I was afraid I'd gotten all banged up for nothing. Well, that's good news, we can rebuild."

Sakura smiled. "Your parents must have wanted to kill you."

"Hey, I'm the one with broken ribs," Ino sniffed indignantly. "They have no right to be angry."

Laughing a little, Sakura leaned over to hug her friend gently. "You can always rebuild a store, but there's only one of you, you know," she said wisely. "Thank goodness Shikamaru got to you in time."

The room was suddenly too quiet. Sakura blinked at the silence, then grinned. "It's the talk of the town, you know." She placed a plate of sliced apples on the bed before her friend. "How Shikamaru rushed in there to save you single-handedly."

"Itadakimasu." Ino said politely, reaching for the fruit.

"Has he been in to see you?" Sakura prodded. "Did he say anything?"

Ino took a bite of apple and chewed slowly. "No."

Sakura waited eagerly, but Ino merely finished off the apple piece. "So nothing's happened?" Sakura demanded.

"Why should anything happen?" Ino shrugged. "He saved me from a giant snake. In our line of work, that's not something special."

"Well fine, Ino, call me a helpless romantic, but I think that's fairytale material." Sakura grinned widely. "So what happened exactly? Did he say anything when he found you?" 

"I have no idea," Ino selected another piece of fruit. "I was completely out."

Sakura whined in frustration. "Nooo…he must have said something!! Can't you remember anything?!"

Ino frowned. Now that she put her mind to it, something was reformulating in her memory…a face framed by the moon…

Huffing, Sakura took a piece of apple herself. "Tch. How boring. I was so excited too."

"Excited for what?" Ino asked, an annoyed sting in her voice.

"For him to tell you how he feels!" Sakura jumped up from the bed, waving her arms animatedly. "He's got to be in love with you! This whole scenario proves it! He took on a summoning beast by himself to get to you!!" She stopped waving as she noticed Ino's lack of reaction. "What?"

"It's not surprising, is all." Ino shrugged. "I knew he would come."

Sakura blinked. Then she grinned hugely. "WHOAH….what does THAT mean?!"

"It doesn't mean anything, Sakura." Ino's voice was bored. Apathetic. "Think about it, you're a smart girl. Of course he came for me. He figured out where I'd be and he knew I'd have trouble facing that thing alone."

Sakura shook her head. "You know that's not what I mean! Of course he knew you'd be in trouble, but just knowing that doesn't make a person risk their life to save someone else's. There's something else involved."

Ino smirked. "Sakura, come on. I'm a family friend. He's a nice guy. It's not like he'd completely ignore me or Chouji or even you for that matter if you were in trouble. You're just looking too much into it."

Sakura opened her mouth to argue further, but after a moment closed it and pouted instead. "Mou…you don't have a romantic bone in your body."

Ino closed her eyes and smiled loftily. "I don't have time for that kind of mush, you know. I'm a busy woman."

"Oh drat…speaking of time," Sakura looked at the clock on the wall. "I've got to see Naruto before I have to go teach…I'll come back afterwards, ok?"

Ino nodded and extended her arms for a hug, which Sakura gave her. "I'm not giving up on this, you know," Sakura said seriously.

"Fine, do as you like, my dear." Ino gently pushed her away. "Get going before you're late."

And when the door finally clicked shut, Ino hunched over in the bed, drawing her knees up to her chest to hug herself. 

She was so good at hiding her feelings, so much better at it than any other girl in the village. A small pang of regret stung in her chest as she reflected on why she could not tell Sakura about what really lurked inside her.

_I don't even know…_

With that**_, _**she let her mind open, let confusion and bewilderment and something painful flow freely throughout her thought processes.

He hadn't come to see her since that night. It was such a trivial thing, such a_ childish _thing, but for some reason, it bothered her to the point of headache_. Stupid idiot Shika. __Loser. She was lying here in __bandages, no less, and he wouldn't come see her? It wasn't like she was disfigured or something. Well then, fine! She didn't want to see him either!_

……………………..

Why would he come for her then, and not now?

She had known that he would come. He never failed to be with her in moments of crisis, though all the time voicing his displeasure to be there. In every situation that involved danger or pain, he was right behind her. So _why not now_? Especially now, as she'd never before been injured to the point of hospitalization. 

Had something changed?

Or maybe she was reading too much into it. Of course she was. What would ever change between them? Nothing. Shikamaru was her friend; thus he was obligated to protect her if he could. Such a good friend.

But hadn't she _seen_ something when she'd come to for a moment….something in his gaze? Her eyes narrowed as she recalled his face framed in moonlight and raindrops....

Raindrops?

The pale blue eyes widened as she remembered the clear cloudless night, as she realized what had happened. _He was crying, she thought incredulously._

He had **_cried_**.

But Shikamaru never cried. The closest thing to tears that she had ever seen from him were the direct results of yawning.

What did it mean? Why did he cry?! What—

She suddenly let out a small scream of frustration. _I don't understand you at all, Shika!! she howled mentally. _What do you WANT?! Why won't you just say something?! Where do you get off doing so many things for me without explaining yourself?! What IS it?!__

And after cycling several times through the limited scope that she had of the previous events, she concluded that she didn't understand, that she hated Shikamaru's guts for messing with her head, and that she needed a nap. Falling back, she let her head hit the pillow with a satisfying thud and turned on her side, wanting to shut out light, sound, everything.

_I just can't deal with you._

* * * * * * * *

The Fifth Hokage closed her eyes and rolled up the scroll that Asuma had just brought to her. 

"You mustn't blame yourself, Hokage-sama," Kurenai said gently. "At least the death toll was not high." It was true; after the death of the Sound ninja, the non-contracted summoning animals had been displaced and confused, and were easily disposed of. The deaths and injuries sustained before that point were not heavy, but…

"There should have been no death toll." Tsunade rose from her desk and made her way to the window, where she had an excellent view of Konoha. From this point she could see most of the damage done to the village. "I should have expected something like this."

Kurenai and Asuma did not say anything to that. Tsunade sighed and bowed her head before turning back to them. "Let's begin preparations for the funerals," she said quietly.

The two jounin bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. 

"Come on, now," a gruff voice said from the corner of the room. "What's with this long face and the drooping?"

"Stuff it, pervert." Tsunade folded her arms across her ample chest and stared out at the scarred village once more. "Why did he like to cause so much pain?" she asked no one in particular. "Why do things like this?"

Jiraiya shook his grizzled head. "Don't even try to guess. He's dead and gone, and even when he was alive, he never gave us a straight answer for that. Don't waste your time trying to understand him."

"I guess you're right," Tsunade sighed. But the frown didn't leave her face.

The toad hermit smiled and leaned against the desk. "Orochimaru was right to value life, but didn't see the preciousness of it," he said quietly. "That's why he couldn't win, because he couldn't place as much value on life as we could. All our hopes, loves and dreams make our lives more precious, and that much more dear. He hurt people, killed them, tortured them, but for all that, he couldn't win because we are ultimately stronger. And we proved that here again."

_Now and forever.___

The Fifth Hokage was quiet for a moment, as if digesting what Jiraiya had said. Then she turned to him, a small grin twisting her lips. "That was actually quite touching. Maybe you do have the talent to be a writer."

"I AM a writer, you cursed barrel-hipped washboard-chest!!" Jiraiya howled. "A successful, famous novelist!!"

"Pervert." But she said it fondly. "Thank you, Jiraiya."

The toad hermit snorted and rubbed at his nose to hide his embarrassment. 

"Hokage-sama!"

Both of the ninja turned to the teenager who had just burst in the door. "Ah, Konohamaru," Jiraiya grinned gleefully. "You're looking better, son. Shall I give you a sneak peek at my latest manuscript?"

"No time for that sir, sorry!" Konohamaru bowed hurriedly and rushed over to Tsunade handing her a sealed scroll. "It's urgent, Hokage-sama."

She gently ruffled the teenager's hair affectionately, then waited for him to exit before opening the scroll and scanning it briefly. Her eyes narrowed, and she tossed the scroll over to Jiraiya.

After reading it, he looked up and fixed his eyes on Tsunade, who nodded.

"No rest for the wicked," she said grimly, and both of them disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * * * * * * *

            Shikamaru shifted his left arm in its sling in annoyance. Freaking troublesome thing. He knocked, then pushed open the hospital room door.

            "Oi," he said when he saw Naruto sitting on the edge of his bed.

            Naruto didn't seem to hear, but when Shikamaru made his way inside and closed the door behind him, the blonde finally looked up, a smile transforming his face. "Shikamaru!" he said happily. "What're you doing here?"

            "I heard you were in here, so I came to see what was going on." Shikamaru took a hold of the only chair in the room and dragged it to the bedside. Naruto's eyes widened as he noticed the reason why the shadow nin worked with only one hand. "Dude, Shikamaru, what happened?"

            "Snake. Don't ask." Shikamaru flopped into the chair with a sigh, then rummaged about in his pocket. "Here. Found this lying around the house, thought you might—"

            "YOU BROUGHT ME FOOD!!" Naruto howled with joy. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and tossed over the onigiri he had prepared that morning, raising an eyebrow as they disappeared rapidly. "Feeding you is like throwing pebbles down a well," he observed half-admiringly. "Can't ever fill it."

            Naruto swallowed the last of the rice balls with relish. "Man, Shikamaru, you're a lifesaver."

            "Don't call me that, it'd make me out to be some kinda upstanding, hard-working citizen." Shikamaru stretched lazily. "So what happened the other night? I heard you took care of that ninja from the Sound Village. Was he really after you?"

            "Yeah, I guess so," Naruto nodded, eyes drifting to the floor as his thoughts wandered. "I can't really remember."

            Shikamaru grinned. "Don't bother. I'm not that curious."

            They lapsed into a comfortable silence, simply basking in each other's company. Moments like this were extremely rare between them, and Shikamaru was content to just enjoy the pleasant quiet. Then from the corner of his eye, he noticed Naruto's brow furrowing. Sighing, he shook his head. "What's up, Naruto?"

            As if he had known that Shikamaru was going to ask, Naruto lifted his head and looked at him. "You ever scared to do something because it'd be awful if it fell apart?" he asked.

            The shadow nin raised an eyebrow and scratched the back of his head in thought. "Well yeah," he said slowly. "I've been scared to take risks 'cause of that. Probably everyone has."

            Naruto nodded, but his expression did not change. "Is there ever a way to not get hurt?"

            Shikamaru shook his head thoughtfully. "Don't think so. But if you think that way about it, you won't take the risk, and then you might be missing out on something really good, right? So it's probably not a good idea to think that way. If it means a lot to you, you should take the plunge regardless."

            _Hypocrite_, a voice inside him said with satisfaction. Shikamaru growled and pushed the voice out of his head because his situation had nothing to do with Naruto's. Freaking troublesome thoughts—

            "But," Naruto's voice broke through the shadow nin's inner grumblings, and he looked into blue eyes that seemed to be glinting with an emotion so rarely seen on Naruto's countenance. "What if the thing could really, REALLY hurt you?"

            Was that really _fear in Naruto's voice? What was going on? Shikamaru was about to voice his incredulity with laughter, but his heart melted as he saw the need in Naruto's eyes, the need for an answer._

            Shikamaru leaned back in his chair and scratched his head with his right hand. "You're being weird, man," he commented lightly. "Never known you to be scared of anything."

            Naruto shrugged, and turned his face away. Shikamaru frowned as he searched for something within the levels of Naruto's comprehension….something even that idiot would understand—

            He had it.

            "You know, Naruto, when you learned all your jutsu and stuff….like the one Jiraiya taught you…it was hard, right? Even painful at times."

            The blonde didn't look up, but he nodded. 

            "Smart people would have given up," Shikamaru continued. "But not only are you brainless, you've got the stubborn stick shoved up your ass. Even though your training hurt like hell, you didn't give up and you kept at it till you got it. You took a risk in hurting yourself to learn it, in a sense."

Naruto nodded again, as if to himself. 

"I think it's the same thing, man," Shikamaru said gently. "It's like, even though you know what you're doing could really hurt you…kill you, even….you don't give up, you don't run away, and you keep trying….and then it eventually comes to you, whatever it is." The shadow nin sighed and rubbed at the back of his head. "What I'm saying is, if you just act like the usual idiot you are, you'll win no matter how badly you get hurt trying."

            _Are you such an idiot that you don't see the power you have to change people?_

            There was a calm, meaningful silence. Then Naruto looked up Shikamaru, a small light beginning to burn in his eyes. "If I don't give up…." he echoed.

            _If I don't run away…___

            "Yeah," Shikamaru leaned forward, an encouraging smirk on his face. "Something like that."

            _Take the plunge…_

            Shikamaru suddenly lost the oxygen required to think as Naruto hurtled from the bed and crushed him in an enthusiastic bear-hug. "You're a GENIUS, Shikamaru!!" Naruto yelled happily.

            "Dead…genius…" the tensai choked. "Get off…"

            Naruto moved back a bit and regarded the windless shadow nin warmly. "You're an awesome pal, man," he said affectionately.

            "Stop putting labels on me, freaking troublesome fool," Shikamaru said between gasps of air. But an involuntary grin spread across his face. Naruto's vibrant affection was as unstoppable as it was infectious.

            The grin dropped instantly as Naruto's eyes widened suddenly and his face took on a green pallor. "Naruto?!" Shikamaru asked harshly. "What's the matter?!"

            "………..urgh…"

            "What, you feeling sick? You scared the shit out of me…..heheh, I mean what, were you not supposed to eat anything or something?"

            "……..mmmph!!!!—"

            "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME, YOU IDIOT?! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME—IF YOU'RE GONNA PUKE, DO IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!!"

            Naruto took the not-so-gentle advice and stumbled off to the adjoining toilet. While Shikamaru reeled over how close that had been, the door opened and Sakura poked her head inside. 

            "Naruto?" she called, then her gaze fell onto Shikamaru. "Shikamaru-kun!" she exclaimed, pushing her way into the room. "How's your wrist?"

            "S'fine," he answered nonchalantly. "It was a pretty clean break; shouldn't have any permanent damage."

            "Good." Sakura surveyed him, one eyebrow raised. He stared back, beginning to feel a wee bit apprehensive.

            "Now that you're free, you can go see Ino," she proclaimed. Shikamaru jumped in his chair and instantly put a scowl on his face. "What? Why the hell should I do—"

            "Shikamaru-kun!!" Rock Lee's exuberant voice bounced about the small confines of the room as he burst inside. "Are you well? You fought a courageous battle against a serpent, and all for a woman's sake! You are a man among men!"

            "Th…thanks," Shikamaru said weakly as Lee began to pound him vigorously on the back without showing any signs of stopping.

            "Well, what are you waiting here for?" Lee asked brightly. "Ino-san has been asking for you! You must go to her!"

            _What?_

            "What're you talking about?" Shikamaru moaned. "Don't tell me that—"

            "She wants to see you, Shikamaru-kun!" Sakura made agitated motions with her hands. "Go on, before she gets mad and comes down here. I don't want her after me."

            "Why should I? Mendokuse." The shadow nin yawned. "She's still alive, right? If I go up there, she's only gonna yell at me and use me as her slave—"

            He stopped as he noticed that the room had taken on a rather red shade, and then he gulped as he beheld the green beast of Konoha blazing with the fire of male chivalry. "YOUR LADY DEMANDS TO SEE YOU!!" Lee roared, eyes aflame with righteous fervor. "YOU MUST GO NOW!!"

            Shikamaru tried to look like he wasn't running out of the room. "You're going to be the death of me, all of you," he threw over his shoulder. "Freaking troublesome people."

            Sakura waved cheerily before shutting the door.

            Lee was instantly at her side, thick eyebrows tilted upwards in worry. "Was I unconvincing?" he asked. 

            She shook her head, smiling broadly. "You were great," she said happily. "He's so smart, I was worried that he'd see through me. Having you here was perfect."

            "VICTORY!" Lee roared. Sakura winced, then beamed along with him. 

            _It's for your own good, Ino-pig. I don't know what you're doing, but I'll give you a little push in the right direction._

With that thought in mind, she turned her attention to Naruto, who had emerged from the bathroom looking a bit pale and glad to see the two of them_. I can only take care of one dummy at a time, you know, _she thought with a wry smile_._

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thanks for reading, please review!


	12. Chapter 12: Beginning

::heavy sigh:: Whew. Again, sorry for not updating sooner. Life and all. I'll save my blurb for the end.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice.I wouldn't have to write these disclaimers, for one thing.)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

* * * * *

Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 12: Beginning

Shikamaru frowned at the door handle that led to Ino's room. _I'm not going in there_, he thought derisively. _She's just trying to use me_-

            _"She's asking for you."_

            Bullshit. Shikamaru shook his head violently and pushed the door open with a bang. He'd prove it, the moment she saw him, she'd fix him with her sinister baby blue eyes and start having him run all her errands and-

            She was asleep.

            All of his insides shrank as she stirred a little at the noise, then he sighed in relief as she fell still once more. He snorted to himself; Sakura had obviously tricked him, but for what purpose, he had no idea. Women. He'd never understand them, they were tricky...calculating..they were..

His thoughts smoothed out and faded away as he stared at the slumbering kunoichi before him. With her eyes closed, her face so relaxed and calm.she looked so quiet and vulnerable-

Shikamaru jumped as he realized that he was no more than a foot from the bed. How had he gotten there? Like some kind of moth drawn to a flame, he had moved without conscious thought or effort.

He put a hand his forehead and sighed deeply. What was he _doing_, why _was_ it that he was always reduced to idiocy around her, that his stupid emotions would always do things for him and get him into trouble, why..

Why did he torture himself like this so much?

He ignored that thought and refocused on Ino's face. Some golden tendrils of hair were hanging over her lips, pale against the bruises and bandages on her cheeks. Involuntarily and with unconscious tenderness, he brushed the hair away, tucking it carefully behind her ear. 

It was ridiculous how focused he was on this simple action, how carefully his senses noted just how warm her skin was against his hand, how blue her eyes were against the white of the pillow, how quietly she-_her eyes were open-_

He leapt back as if bees had stung him. Ino's gaze followed his hasty retreat without expression. "Hi," she finally said at length.

Remembering to breathe, Shikamaru willed his face muscles to thaw and regroup into his usual scowl. "Hi," he muttered, turning his head towards the floor, pointedly not looking at her.

The soft humming of the overhead light quickly became the loudest thing in the room. Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably, then rubbed at the back of his head. "Sakura told me to come see you," he muttered, as if making an excuse. "So..yeah."

Ino blinked. Then she scowled and began to push herself up. "I'm going to murder that girl-"

She winced a bit as tight muscles and broken bones screamed at her for her carelessness. "Oi, oi, lie down," Shikamaru held up a hand, managing to sound annoyed. "You shouldn't be moving around so much."

Ino sniffed in response and tried not to grimace as she settled into a sitting position. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her stubborn defiance and lifted his free hand to rub the back of his head.

It was a mistake. Ino's eyes had followed his movement, and now she was focusing upon his chest with alarming intensity. Shikamaru blinked, then followed her gaze to his bandaged left arm, fixed securely to his body. _Oh hell_, he thought resignedly.

 "What happened?" Ino asked in a strange, hard voice.

"I fell," Shikamaru said calmly. He'd rehearsed this conversation already. "All those summoning animals underfoot, it was hard to sta-"

"That's not the way I heard it," Ino said in that same low, harsh voice. "Chouji said that you got hurt trying to help me."

Shikamaru shrugged, making a mental note to remind Chouji about minding his own business when it came to Ino. "Whatever makes you happy. I don't really care," he said nonchalantly.

He figured she'd blow up as usual, that she'd scream and rage and tell him that he was an inconsiderate, lazy idiot who should have gotten to her sooner, _Sasuke-kun_ would have gotten to her sooner. A dull surge of anger welled through his gut, but he refused to acknowledge it and closed his eyes instead, waiting for her tirade to hit him.

It didn't come. In surprise, he opened his eyes looked at her questioningly. Ino had turned her face away, her hands tight in her lap.

"I know you don't," she said quietly. And just a little bit sadly.

_What?_

"Oi, Ino?" Shikamaru ventured tentatively. And after an awkward pause, he smirked on purpose. "You ok?"

The blonde kunoichi did not answer. Alarmed, but managing to look like he wasn't hurrying, he slouched over to the bedside and sat down alongside her. "Oi," he said quietly, leaning a bit to get a good look at her face-

And then Ino suddenly leaned forward into his chest in one deliberate move, her forehead resting on his collarbone.

_Holy shit!! _he screamed mentally_. What the_-

His heart pushed up into his throat, and he swallowed hard to get it back down to its original position. All of his senses were electrified, his hair was standing on end, he felt Ino's light breath on his skin as powerfully as a physical caress. They were as still as stone, soft as rain, quiet as air, save for the erratic drumming of his heart, pulsing loudly under her ear.

And then..

_No._

As gently as he could, Shikamaru began to lean back, out of her reach, out of her touch. "Hey," he said quietly, laughingly, as if uncomfortable. "Come on, Ino, what-"

He froze again as she seized his jacket in an iron grip, keeping him there.

Jaw tightening, he closed his eyes. He had to say something. He had to say _anything_. But his soul was vibrating with too much power and raw feeling, and he could not. This thing, this beautiful, _horrible_ thing that seemed so attainable and so simple for others, was just impossible between them. Too difficult. Maybe their lives were too tangled together, perhaps their souls were too different-whatever it was, it was too much of a barrier to overcome, and so the precious secret that he hid deep in his heart could never escape its prison.

_It's too hard, Ino. _

As if she'd heard his thoughts, she sighed softly against his chest. The hand clenched in his clothes relaxed ever so slightly. "I'm sorry you got hurt, Shika," she said quietly. 

Shikamaru nodded stiffly. "Whatever," he managed. "It wasn't too troublesome."

Ino let herself smile a little. _Idiot_, she thought a sleepily. It might have been her medicine, or her injuries, or the warmth and comfort of the moment, but in any event, she was feeling waves of drowsiness lapping at her consciousness.

This moment..

Something in her warmed, spreading through her stomach, and just as quickly died. In such a moment, was it so impossible that she could be right? Was it? 

But what would that mean to her, ultimately?

_Shika, are you._

_Am I..?_

She didn't know. She just didn't know. And she was too afraid to know. But when he shifted as if to rise, her body resisted almost violently, fist tightening in his clothes once more, leaning against him with more force.

This moment would end soon, and she didn't think she wanted that.

Shikamaru's hand gently closed over hers, attempting to disentangle her fingers from his jacket. "You're going to fall asleep on me," he said softly.

"S'fine," she mumbled sleepily. "I don't care."

He snorted. "Thanks. Come on, Ino-"

"Just stay," she said quietly, closing her eyes. "Till I fall asleep."

"Wha-"

"Thanks, Shika," she smiled. It was a small smile, as if masked, but it was true. "Thanks for everything."

Her breathing deepened, and her body relaxed completely as she fell asleep. He waited for a minute before carefully lowering her to the bed, his skin prickling from the lost contact and dissipating warmth. Pulling the covers over her shoulder, he made as if to turn and leave, but on impulse, he bent down to her once more and carefully peered at her slumbering face. And he smiled a secret, tender smile.

_Mendokuse_, he thought fondly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            Kakashi sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, there's nothing much more to do if we don't see anything," he said reasonably, casting an eye at the covered body of Unjou Kogaku lying on a pallet some distance away. "Someone contact Jiraiya and the Hokage. We're done here."

            As the patrol party began to prepare to head back to Konoha, Kakashi swept his gaze over the area once more. Sensing nothing, he turned back to the patrol, noted that they had a firm hold of the corpse, and all present vanished in a cloud of smoke.

            Through the clearing mist, a snake came forward, making its way to the flattened grass that had supported Kogaku's dead body for the day. The serpent moved around the area slowly and carefully until its head bumped into something wrinkled and black. Opening its mouth wide, it took hold of the object and turned around, returning the way it had come.

            It slithered blindly, the object in its mouth obscuring its vision. Abruptly it bumped into something yet again, and then felt itself being lifted into the air, felt its burden taken from its mouth.

            "Thank you, my friend," a man's light voice said pleasantly. The snake coiled around the hand holding it, hissing with familiarity. 

            The sound was extinguished as the hand clenched and crushed the snake's vertebrae. Letting the reptile fall from his fingers, the owner of the murderous hand used it to carefully cradle the shriveled dead thing that the serpent had brought to him.

            "Orochimaru-sama," he whispered. And then his lips spread apart in a sinister grin.  

            _Konoha..I'm coming._

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            It was sunset, the mating of day and night, and the sky was a merged palette of glorious color, blue and purple underlying the brilliant orange of the diving sun. 

            Sasuke had seen it through the window, and he had needed to be out there with it. He had to get out of the whiteness, the nothingness of the room, his head, his thoughts, his soul. Since that moment with Naruto, he had not processed any information or food, he had not slept. The only thing he could grasp was a sense of completion. There was nothing after that.

            But he ultimately needed more than that, more than just white, or just black. His life, so easy and simple to define in his youth, had been too enriched with color, the hue of emotion, people and memories. He could not last long without the complexity that he had grown accustomed to, symbolized in shades of red, of green and blue, and orange.

            So he went up to the roof, and there he saw Naruto.

            It was so fitting that Sasuke almost laughed. The blonde shinobi was standing at the edge of the rooftop, framed against a blinding sun, the awesome rays of light seeming to emanate from his own body. Like a deity watching over his lands.

            The source of light turned, as if knowing that Sasuke was there. Eyes glinted over with orange, they watched the black-haired shinobi silently.

            Sasuke stared back, unsure of what was going to happen. Would he run? Would he turn away? Would he attack? Or would he be absolutely predictable and-

            Naruto grinned, teeth flashing in the dying sunlight.

            Something in Sasuke relaxed, and he fought the urge to smirk himself. He moved up to stand next to Naruto, and also looked out at the village of Konoha.

            They were quiet for a moment. And then Naruto's grin fell away as he looked at his home. "It was kinda close, huh," he said softly.

            Sasuke shrugged. "Konoha's still here. What's done is done." The phrase seemed to echo in the air, laced with heavier purpose.

            The blonde shinobi nodded. And waited. And then.

            "What happens now?" he asked of Sasuke. And once again, the air was filled with deeper meaning.

            "I don't know," Sasuke said seriously. Truthfully. The sun had sunk lower, throwing a piercing ray of light directly into his eyes, and he brought up a hand to shield them. Or maybe he did it to hide a sudden thought.

            "It won't be easy," he said quietly. 

            _Things have never been easy between us._

            He lowered his hand and turned his head to look at Naruto, whose blue eyes were wide and thoughtful.

            And excited.

            "Well, no shit, Sasuke," he said patronizingly. "It wouldn't be worth it if it were easy, ya know? It'd be something to work on."

            Sasuke's eyes were dark, refusing to show anything reflective of his emotions. "Even then, it may be too hard."

            _I can do anything, learn anything, and see anything. Except for our future. And if we fail, it could kill us both._

_            Are you ready for that, Naruto?_

            As if he'd heard, the blonde shinobi turned back to the sun and took a few steps forward, closer to the edge of the roof. And then he twisted back to look at Sasuke.

            "I'm not good at giving up," Naruto declared with a huge grin. _That's my way._

_            I'm not going to lose you._

            He smirked, then whipped his head back to the sunset, refusing to let the Uchiha see the light flush brightening his face. The last of the sunlight was blessing the streets, paving them with a temporary sheen of gold. It was captivating, brilliant and rich and beautiful.

And all the beauty and splendor fell away in an instant and became as meaningless as dust as Naruto felt Sasuke's arms encircle him from behind, pull him close against his chest and let his chin rest upon Naruto's shoulder.

After a breathless moment, Naruto leaned back, one browned hand rising to grip Sasuke's arms in a reassuring hold.

            They didn't have to speak. They didn't have to verbalize the forces between them any longer. Words were clumsy and inaccurate and so unworthy of the moment that was now. All that mattered was touch. All that meant anything was scent. And all that either of them knew was each other's existence. Naruto's protective darkness. Sasuke's joyous light. There was no more fear, no more doubt, no more insecurity because this embrace was as natural and beautiful as life itself. Nothing could bespeak more of eternity. Nothing in heaven or hell would separate them, now that they had come together.

            Sasuke turned his head so that his mouth brushed Naruto's neck, mouthing something against the warm skin. Naruto's grip on Sasuke's arm tightened in response. "Yeah," he whispered back.

            Forever, like the night chasing the day.

            And deciding that he had waited and feared and hoped long enough, Naruto lifted his head towards Sasuke's to-

            "OOHHHHHHH!!"

            "Lee-san!!"

"THIS IS SPECTACULAR! TRUE LOVE! AN AWESOME AND MIGHTY FRIENDSHIP HAS ERUPTED INTO AN INFERNO OF TRUST AND DEEP FEELINGS AND-"

"Lee-san, for pity's sake-"

"GAI-SENSEI WILL BE EXTREMELY PLEASED! I MUST TELL HIM WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED, AS HE HOLDS SUCH VALUES IN HIGH ESTEEM AND NARUTO-KUN AND SASUKE-KUN ARE A MODEL PAIR OF THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!! HE WILL PROCLAIM OF THEIR MIGHT TO THE VILLAGE OF KO-"

Sakura sighed heavily, shook her head, and put a hand to her brow. "Oh.Lee-san.I'm feeling faint." she said in a frail moan.

"WHAT?!" Lee's attention was immediately focused upon Sakura. "Are you ill, Sakura-san? What should I do?!"

"Some water," Sakura managed to gasp. "Lee-san, please-"

Lee's eyes glowed with the fire of worry and duty. "Never fear, Sakura-san! I shall return immediately!" He was gone in a flash.

Sakura waited for a second, then rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Can't take him anywhere," she muttered. Her bright eyes snapped onto her former teammates, who were edging surreptitiously towards the edge of the roof. "Mou," she said, directing her words at Naruto. "I let you go get some fresh air and look what you do."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said weakly. The kunoichi waved a hand. "No excuses, you little sneak. I was all set to make you a homemade dinner, but I don't feel like it anymore." She glared at Naruto, though a glint of gentle mirth glowed in her eyes. "And you, Sasuke-kun," she threw at the Uchiha. "You shouldn't be out here either. The two of you, I just don't know.."

"Whatever," Sasuke said dismissively. "I'm fine."

At once, Sakura's face changed, and something warm and tender shone through her gaze as she looked at the two men she'd grown up with, looked at the birth of something unbreakable.

"Now you are," she said gently. _I'm so glad._

And she was about to say more, but Lee arrived with her water, and Rock Lee was, of course, not to be ignored. "Be strong, Sakura-san!" he exclaimed, all but throwing the water into her face in haste to administer it. "I shall take you to the Fifth immediately! Not even death will keep me from my quest!" And despite Sakura's vehement protestations, he scooped her up in his arms, flashed a rakish-and-yet-devilishly-handsome smile at the other two shinobi present, and vanished in a puff of smoke.            

Naruto blinked. Sasuke was silent. And then the golden orange shinobi burst out into raucous, joyous laughter, and even the ebony red shinobi smiled.

Sasuke smiled even wider when the laughter was cut off by a horrible gurgling sound, and Naruto turned to stare at him with a stricken look. "I'm starving!!" the blonde exclaimed, as if this was a new, novel experience.

"I'm hungry too," Sasuke looked out at the dusky village, soft and muted with shadows. "Let's get out of here."

"Ramen!"

"....I don't like you THAT much."

"Oh come on-"

"No."

"Why the hell not?! We don't always have to do what you want, you goddamn bastard! I need noodles!"

"No, dumbass."

"What the-fuck you! Where the hell do you get off calling me dumbass-"

"_YOU_ just called me a bastard...just forget it. Let's go."

"Hell no! Not before you apologize to me, you goddamn arrogant-"

"We can have ramen."

"...ok, but you're not getting out of apologizing to me-"

And though they fought just as loudly as before and called each other the same names, they leapt off the roof hand in hand, as interwoven as chain and as eternal as the returning dawn.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* ~ * OWARI * ~ *

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

::blink blink:: Oh whoah. ::scrolls up:: Ohmigosh. I finished.

Huh.

Geez, never thought I'd finish this anytime soon. Well then again, it's not really over. The idea for my next work comes right after this one, so it's just a matter of writing it out now. I'm going to try going down an entirely new path (humor) and work on what I left unfinished in this fic.

But even though it's not really over, I feel I should say: This work has been an adventure, y'all, and I'm really glad I tried putting this up. Thank you so much for all your comments and support, they brighten my day. I'll do my best with the next fic as well (it's going to come out REAL quick, as I've been thinking about it for a while now, so.I hope I can hear from all of you once more!)

Thank you so much for reading.

Doskoipanda


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